Jamma

Toddler apps?? I'm off to start another thread...

Ah thanks. I remember the Bojangles palaver and thought there was a connection. Still nothing in that thread about what the new nursery is really all about so if anyone has any info would be gratefully received.

This new nursery planning to open next month. Anyone have any info about it? Believe it's replacing a previous nursery in one of the churches but is it a christian thing or is that just the location?

Can I just say you're all weird? It's wholesome. Lots of good stuff about recycling and growing your own and that. Though Grubby's voice is rather grating

Page 15. He's a local boy, I've definitely seem him around town. Props to him for his campaign to get himself on telly as much as possible. There should be all sorts on screen, not just young attractive people. Bit sad that he describes himself as 'quite unsightly' though, I'd say he's just normal looking. (And I don't think there's anything wrong with discussing him on the forum given the nature of his campaign, and the coverage).

Been talking to the folks down there recently and I've been shocked at the amount of stuff that gets nicked. Maybe I was just being a bit wet but I really can't believe people would steal from a playgroup!

I'll try and resist after this but by your own admission Heidi you're not getting the point. Gender is still regarded as important, the fact you are using the words feminine and masculine in the way you are proves what I am saying. Masculine means having a knob, feminine means having a fandango. That's what those words mean and I wish they meant nothing more. The issue is important because when we put limits on children it is particularly the girls that suffer. In your example equating feminine with housewifery is limiting, it means girls grow up thinking they 'should' do the housework, and then they either feel bad about not doing it or they do it and it leaves them tired and holds them back in the workplace and as a member of the family. Either way it's bad for women. Men too are limited by these constructs but historically, and currently, it's women who suffer most. Being 'feminine' is much more limiting than being 'masculine'. That's not fair and it doesn't have to be that way. All I'm saying really is just think and consider your own prejudices, we all do it but the more we try and avoid separating the sexes in our minds the better things will be for everyone. (And I have to pick you up on the idea that 'we can only base our opinions on our own experience'. None of your nieces wanted to watch the football so based on your experience no women like watching football. We should base our opinions not purely on our own experience but on the available evidence.)

Yeah I didn't want to hijack the thread, I don't think I am as it's kind of related to the original post. But let me be clear I have sympathy with the original poster and I think we can all agree that she's nothing to be ashamed of in feeling the way she is. However. I have a problem with the way society genders kids from birth, apparently from before birth in fact. If society simply treated a child as a child then the gender would not make a difference. Heidi's comments are a case in point. People say her son is 'boyish' - what does this mean? Who says that being boyish has to mean being aggressive, loud etc? Who says being feminine equals being soft? By thinking that you are doing a disservice to all the boys who are quiet, bookish, caring etc and all the girls who are load, energetic etc. You are putting limits on that child, projecting an idea of what they 'should' be like according to their gender. (I am taking it for granted Heidi that your line about girls copying mum doing the washing and ironing was a joke right? And most kids like football on telly - it's the calming green and the white noise of the crowd) I'm struck by the way more and more people these days do find out the gender of their child before the birth. And by doing so they project their own gendered ideas on to that child. This is well documented. If the admins think I am hi-jacking the thread then by all means says so but I couldn't help but respond to some of the incredibly gendered responses on here.

Gee Heidi you kind of proved my point. Who says a 'proper' boy is loud? What on earth could be the connection with 21st century gadgets and millenia old DNA 'programs'?

I think everyone's agreed that SuperGolden's feelings are entirely normal. But.. One has to question a society that perpetuates the idea that even in utero a male or female child is different except in the obvious anatomical way. I am amazed and appalled by the attitudes here. That girls do one thing and boys do another. By thinking and talking that way you are putting barriers in the way of all those girl babies (and to a lesser extent boy babies) before they've even had a chance. There is mountains of evidence that gender-specific behaviour is learned, not ingrained. Don't throw out the 'girls' baby clothes (what does this mean? That they are pink? Who says pink is only for girls and blue for boys?) dress your son in them. Define all your children as people, not as a gender or race or hair colour or whatever

Simply that. You've clearly had a dreadful time but you seem to be dealing with it alone. For example you said you were alone with your twins, why couldn't your partner help you? He or she is presumably at least 50% responsible for getting you in the condition you're in and indeed for creating your other children so I simply wondered why he or she didn't get a mention in the account of your trauma. I accept that to a great extent I'm asking only out of curiosity. But like I said, if you're going to publish your story on a public forum it doesn't seem unreasonable to ask questions about it. (I was going to say question it but I'm not questioning it at all just asking a question about it, let me make that clear)

Please don't take this the wrong way but if you're going to discuss such things on a public forum I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to ask - where was/is your partner during all this?

The Palmerston has a poster in the window that says 'FOOTBALL' on it. Not sure what it's about because only spotted from a bus but perhaps they showing it?

Bang on pk. That's exactly what I'm saying.

I'm amazed folk seem to genuinely weigh up a cosmetic scar versus chance (albeit very small) of getting a nasty disease. The world's gone nuts

I'd recommend getting your name down for every nursery you can. You're unlikely to get in any for some time from my experience. And if you do get offered a place, then you an always turn it down if you don't fancy the nursery for any reason

Just because he doesn't want to be bothered doesn't mean he shouldn't be bothered. A decent caring society will try and help him. He's unsightly, not in the aesthetic sense but in the sense that anyone decent seeing him sitting there might worry about his welfare. Those raising it on here shouldn't be attacked for raising the issue. It's unlikely to be doing him any good just sitting outside Cafe Nero all day. I defy anyone to claim that is a good quality of life (I'm certainly not suggesting wnking over waitrose brochures is a fecent quality of life either). Putting St Mungo's on to him seems a capital idea, they are a very excellent charity and may be able to improve his lot

Ok look this is a good idea, I'm not knocking it. But you'd get more out of it with better questions. That's all.

Ok this is clearly a great idea. But I'm guessing The Chair is not a journalist. Those questions are dire. Particularly the one about privacy and that. It's a closed question. Similarly the one about capping pay. Perhaps one or more canididates thinks there is no limit to the amount of pay one should be allowed to earn. I'm not giving my view on the answers to the questions, but they are not good questions. There' kjillions of media living in east dulwich these days, couldn't The Chair have asked one or more of them for advice?

Thanks. Yes I see Toys R Us advertising a sandbox today about ?15. Got to be worth it to avoid digging a big eff-off hole in the garden all weekend instead.

Following on from this has anyone any tips on making a sandpit? Do you have to line it or can you just dig a big hole and fill it with sand? And having made one will it just be used by all the local cats and foxes as a toilet?

C'mon Ratty, it's not Igam Ogam you're watching for it's Kemi or Jen. (But definitely not big-faced Beth)

It's not Billy Connolly. It's a chap called Lewis McLeod who does lots of voiceovers on all sorts of stuff and can do some good impressions too. Hence the Billy Connolly. Of course the real lyrics to Zoo Lane go "There's one with a hump and one that can jump, and one that is a bit of a c---. 64,64,64 Zoo Lane"

Could these chaps be council inspectors making sure that people are recycling the right stuff? That would be my conclusion if two people in high vis jackets using the right tools were noisily going through everyone's recycling.

When my daughter first came along a couple of years ago I only stayed sane I think because once a week I could run around a football pitch for an hour (I didn't kick the ball much as I'm rubbish, I just ran around mainly). Now our Monday night football gang's a little short so could do with a handful of new players so we're getting the teams up to 7-a-side. It's social rather than competitive (though if you like it and you are competitive there's a Tuesday league team you'll be welcome to quickly graduate to), the standard ranges from really poor (me) to decent. 7pm kick off every Monday at the 7-a-side pitches at Jags. PM me if you're interested