Re: Independence

Bandit Heeler
Brisbane
Queensland 
Australia

Dear Bandit,

Littles has a new favourite word: "Independent."

Its main use seems to be when the clock is racing towards 9am and we are desperately trying to get her dressed. It means we may not help her in any way whatsoever, no matter how much time it would save.

Independence is wonderful, but not if it means giving up accepting help. Being an independent person may be, in some ways, similar to being an independent country. I have the misfortune of living in a country that opted, eight years ago, not to be an independent country. It was, at that time, insufficiently grown-up, like when we tried to toilet train Littles and it didn't work because she wasn't ready.

We who want independence for Scotland are trying to have the question asked again, but opponents maintain that the answer of eight years ago should stand today. No! We don't want to toilet train! We are proud of our nappies, thank you very much, and are staying in them forever!

Of course, when Scotland becomes independent, one of the first things we will do is apply to re-join the European Union. That is because we understand that independent countries, like independent grown-ups, help each other. That is something I would very much like Littles to understand about independence. It is OK to be independent and still have someone help you put your shoes on.

Still, Bandit, as phases go, I like independence a lot better than Paw Patrol!

Give my love to Chilli and the girls,

All the best,



Alastair.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Re: Christmas

Bandit Heeler Brisbane Queensland Australia Dear Bandit, Merry Christmas! I laughed and laughed at your letter about Verandah Santa. Poor Socks! It got me wondering how high Santa's standards actually are - my guess is not very! I remember as a kid being furious that, after Christmas, a boy whom I knew had been horrible came back to school boasting of the presents he'd got from Santa. How, I wondered, did he dupe the big man into coming to him? I wrote a poem about it a couple of years ago, which I'd like to share with you. It does have some naughty words - you might not want to show it to Bluey and Bingo just yet! (Though I expect your Ozzy sensibilities would find it fairly mild!)  I then found, to my delight, that it can be sung to the tune of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". I call it "Santa's Rant". You’re told that if you don’t behave, You won’t get any stuff, By now I’m sure you’ve realised, that Is usually a bluff, But I’ve looked through your
Read more

Re: Adventures Involving Bunny Poo

Bandit Heeler Brisbane Queensland Australia Dear Bandit, I really enjoyed reading your letter about playing Pirates in the park. Even though having kids does give us the excuse we've been longing for to make an arse of ourselves in public, it can be hard. Well done for being an awesome blue whale. I found myself at the park with Littles on the way home from nursery. She was content to play with a boy who used to go to her nursery, but is now at school, so I got to sit on a bench and relax for a bit. Unfortunately she had something of a mini-fall-out that was a little bit my fault. The boy went to the toilet, and Littles came to me complaining that she had no one to play with, and I made the mistake of suggesting that she played with another friend I had spotted nearby. She fell into a state of deep contemplation, considering carefully whether it was worth the small spark of courage that would be needed. The first friend returned, and Littles informed him bluntly, "I actually w
Read more

Re: Bodies

Bandit Heeler Brisbane Queensland  Australia Dear Bandit, I loved reading your letter about exercise. We don't get enough of it with small crazy people running around us, that's for sure! Most of my exercise consists of carrying Littles here and there on my shoulders - the "Good seat", she calls it. And, Bandit, that used to be easier! She's getting taller and I'm getting shorter. You're very right that it is important to exercise to stay healthy, but I'm not sure it's healthy to be worrying about your weight. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's an unhealthy attitude, especially when we show it in front of our kids. My advice would be to throw those scales away! They're not helping anyone. So if you're exercising because you want to be fit and healthy, good on you. But if it's because society is telling you that you're not an attractive shape, then society can just bugger off! I'm actually a bit worried about raising a daugh
Read more