Madness (and not the good kind)

Afternoon Peeps!

I’ve seen and heard several things on the news this week that have disturbed me so I thought I’d share them and share my responses too. As a mum, I think we need to address these things so our kids can learn from them.

1. Some schools and universities are banning clapping and cheering because of the risk of upsetting people with anxiety. Issues I have with this: 1) People currently being clapped and cheered for may not feel valued or appreciated. 2) The establishment is responsible for appropriate warnings and providing safe spaces for those who could be affected. 3) Why didn’t they learn the silent cheer out of respect for deaf people? My solution: I will carry on clapping and cheering where it’s appropriate and have taught my daughter to show appreciation for all people and respect deaf people by using the silent cheer appropriately.
2. Children can’t compete in case they get upset…or everybody gets a prize. Issues I have: 1) They won’t learn to compete…they’re gonna struggle in the real world. 2) They will expect something all the time, making them spoilt and sulky if they don’t get something. 3) They won’t learn to lose graciously. Solution: Let them compete! We all did and we survived! My daughter has learned to try, to win and to lose. Most importantly, we taught her to lose without sulking. We play competitive games, even if she didn’t at school (though thankfully she does), we do…so she’ll still learn.
3. It seems perfectly acceptable for media to display people’s private lives. Issue: It shouldn’t be! It is gossip and we shouldn’t be encouraging it. Solution: Although it’s tempting to say ‘avoid all media’, this is getting less likely/possible. So we should expect (and use) better standards. There is currently a story about a celebrity kiss and lots of debate around the morality, the publicity and such. Yes it was wrong as they are both in relationships, yes it is overly-covered on the media and ruining a family show, but no I don’t think it should affect their careers (as it has nothing to do with their ability) and I certainly don’t think the man involved and his ex should be having their discussion so publicly! If we want the media to respect people, we need to stop over-exposing ourselves to such nonsense and teach our kids not to “air dirty laundry” all over social media.

I’m sorry if this seems like a rant, the world’s not all bad…or even mostly bad…but this cotton wool nonsense and overly-public stuff need to stop if our kids are going to stand a chance.

I hope you have a good day and that there is sunshine and optimism where you are. 🙂

Anna x

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