Difrent family values!

Well life in Turkey is beginning to come together. I have now a helper for my son two days a week. My partner's boys have been to stay for two weeks, now all important family have been over to see us!
I have to say that the dimensions of family are strangely highlighted here due to the fact that we see them in a "block" of time rather than bits of time. This is good in some ways but has been hard in others. By the time you get it all settled they are off back to the UK, leaving me some what tired. You see you cannot change history, so your partner treats his children the way he has and will always, there is such a difference in how we do parent I am glad that we haven't tried together! I am "soft" and properly a left over hippie, where as my partner is firm, non bending but fair. There are thoughts on both sides of these extreme parenting skills that are good and valued but there are also the thought that the other side is wrong! How we get on must be a miracle!! but we do and with great love. I have no problem with my child being sexually active where as my partner has no wish to know of his children's levels of activity! I have to say I am just there if they want to talk and it is not a taboo subject! I love people for who they are (warts and all!) My partner sets a standard and feels disappointment if they are unable to reach it. So we have had a few weeks of very different thinking in the house!
Well in one week we have my daughter and her boyfriend over,WOW wonder what that will bring us! Its a great thing we talk so well.

Nursery link to poor behaviour!

Well here is some news I think a lot of people thought was true but it has been backed up with a report done by the Government. Children who spend more than three days a week in nurseries are more likely to become anti-social worried and upset. They have shown that children were more likely to behave poorly the longer they spent in care. Though the report also says that 30 hours in care increased the child's confidence.
The report also shows that the amount of months a child attended the nursery had an impact on that child's behavior. So children who had attended for 18 months or more where rated with more anti-social behavior.
The report was carried out on 800 children in disadvantaged areas.
The moral for me is to check out your Nurseries, and ask what behavior policies are there and how they work. Check the qualification levels of the staff. Always look for more than the required amount! What child/ staff ratio is there. Again you are looking for the best not just the required level. What level of feed back will you expect to get from the Nursery. And the big thing do you feel happy with them!
Some times we shy away from asking difficult questions but when you are looking at the whole development of that very special child you have to ask, if not for you but the future of your child.

Clooney news

Well if you needed to know that that sexy man has a heart as well, he was seen at a childrens lemonade stand near the GE Movie set!
The lovely man not only bought lemonade from the children , paying $20 for a glass of their lemonade but chatted to the children and posed for photos as well.
He was offered the drink for free but big hearted him paid more than 25 cents that they asked for. The kids desided to cash in on the fact that they had a star at their stand put up a new poster saying " George Clooney was here!" What a great start to the childrens Easter holiday!

teachers have more power!

Teachers have a new legal power to help in the classroom. This will allow them to restrain and discipline unruly pupils, this came in on the st April. In the past teachers could restrain under common law, the same as parents. This how ever lead to the culture "you can't touch me!" in so many children. The new law explicitly states that teachers have the right to remove physically. Teachers can now impose detention outside of school hours and even on Saturdays! While I am glad that this has come in the 2006 Education and Inspections Act I wonder how this can be enforced? Teachers are asked to do so much more these days ,are they going to work Saturdays too? The teacher can now discipline pupils outside of school hours, so if they see badly behaved school pupils on their way home they can discipline them. I have to say that for me while I am glad that the powers to be have given much needed power back to the teacher, it feels like they want the poor teacher to sort out the whole problem! What about the parents, communities as a whole? local police ? the children themselves? I wonder if in reality this is an empty act as to enforce this the teacher becomes the local police!