Shadows of our lives

BritMumInNZ

The week has ended and it’s been one of trails and challenges. A week I am glad to see the end of.

A week where Dan has had customers shout at him, products copied and systems crash.

A week where I’ve had a child reluctant to go to school, a meeting with her teacher, a visit at home from the principal to encourage her to go.

A week where Alice has needed a soothing hand on her back or a comfort feed several times every night.

A week where I’ve had to talk ‘sex education’ with my seven year old due to information she’s heard from a particular girl at school. Where she was made to feel wrong for having more than one friend who was a boy (she has always had a number of male, as well as female, friends – but now her friendships with boys are being questioned by some girls – at the age of 7!). Her friendships are of course completely platonic. She didn’t know anything else… until a certain girl at school told her graphic details of physical relationships with boys. I knew none of this until a Mum at school told me Charlotte had told her son she couldn’t be friends with him anymore… he was distraught. When I talked to Charlotte about the matter I discovered a lot more than I was prepared for.

A week where friendships have been tested, some strengthened and new ones made.

Thank goodness it’s Friday!

Shadows on Friday at the beach

Looking forward to next week and hoping for a more positive one!

Right now I am going to savour the weekend and the precious time our family has together, free of outside pressures, pulls, twists and turns.

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21 thoughts on “Shadows of our lives”

  1. Oh so sorry to hear you’ve been through it this week. Love to you and Dan and the girls! Hugs all around hun Vxx

  2. Awww, isn’t it sad when this happens. Why is our society so wrapped up with men and women not being able to have a platonic relationship, and this post is confirmation that those thoughts are put into children’s heads from a very early age. I most definitely blame the parents and the child’s upbringing in cases like these. It really is time parents let their children be children and stopped brainwashing them with sex related topics.

    I hope next week is a massive improvement for you.
    CJ xx

  3. Gosh what testing times on all fronts 🙁 You’ve done well just to make it through the week I’d say. Sending lots of prayer your way for a much smoother ride ahead for next week, and some really precious time this weekend to just ‘be’ together xx Meg

  5. ooh goodness what a week!  Big Sympathy.  I can totally relate to the hubby being shouted at bit.  Thierry has been slogging his guts out for the last two months doing 12 hour days and got shouted at by a manager yesterday too.  Totally fed up on his behalf.  Crazy about that stuff with Charlotte!  Goodness!  Amelie is 8 and I am realizing that I don’t want her to hear about it from her friends at school so the day is coming soon I think when I might have to take her off for a ‘girls weekend!’  Sad really.  I think she’s far too young still.

    I hope you have a lovely weekend!  I have been meaning to do your Save The Children Meme but just haven’t got to it yet and am aware that the date is fast approaching….

  7. Aw man what a week. Can’t believe at the age of 7 girls are talking about that kind of stuff. Sounds like you handled it well though!

  8. What a rotten week you’ve had. I hope Charlotte’s teacher is able to initiate some class discussions about friendships etc because it is so sad when little children become wary of innocent friendships. I don’t have too much of a problem with that sort of a thing in my class, maybe it’s easier because we are an infants’ school and there aren’t any older more ‘savy’ children around. I did have a complaint about one girl talking about boyfriends but I made a joke of it and said they weren’t allowed boyfriends until they were at least 21! which made them laugh and we spent time talking about friendships in general. My class are so innocent (most of the time) that anyone saying ‘shut up’ or ‘idiot’ is reported to me as having said ‘a swear’. I hope the not wanting to go to school issue resolves itself and the teachers sound very helpful. Here it would probably just be threats of prosecution. I can’t see our Head being too sympathetic. She doles out certificates for 100% attendence regardless of illness or other circumstances. Have yourselves a relaxing time on Sunday, you deserve it.

  9. It sounds like you have all been tested this week.  Hope that you’ve enjoyed some of Wellington’s best weather today and are all relaxing and letting the woes of this week ebb away. 

  10. I have been thinking of you all, all weekend and hoping that you are feeling “healed” by the gorgeous weather we’ve had.

    Hugs!

  12. Thanks Ruta. We are so fortunate to have such a sympathetic, supportive and understanding school, teachers and head. The visit from the school principal did the trick and Sophie enjoyed the rest of the week at school. She had a nice play-date on Thursday too – I’m sure once she’s made some good friendships she’ll feel a lot more settled in her new class.

    Charlotte’s fine now too, but I am going to mention what she’s been hearing to her teacher, as it’s a little concerning.

    She wrote a lovely note to her ‘boy’ friend and took it round today with a little gift. He was out, but phone later to thank her – they are friends again now 🙂

    We’ve had a great weekend and lovely weather. Feeling much revived now 🙂

    Many thanks, Sarah x

  15. Thank you, all much better now and Charlotte wrote a lovely note to her ‘boy’ friend and they are friends again. I’m going to have to talk to her teacher about what one girl has been saying in the playground though, as I’m concerned as to where she’s heard it all from… fun and games! x

    Thanks for doing the meme – such a worthy campaign and I really hope they receive desperately needed increase in funds.

    Hope you have had a good weekend too x

  17. Thank you so much. We’ve had a great weekend and resolved so much (also been blessed with beautiful weather – which always helps!).

    I was fortunate to have highly valued platonic friendships with the opposite sex, as was Dan, growing up – and still do to this day. Charlotte now understands that it is indeed ‘okay’ to have ‘boy’ friends. It seems she was terribly misinformed by another girl in the school playground! We’ve since resolved heaps and Charlotte took a gift round to her ‘boy’ friend to make up for things. Friends again – hurray! 

  18. Cheers Vix – a great weekend, good dose of sunshine and wine and we’re all charged for whatever the coming week throws at us 😉 xx

  19. Thank you so much my friend. We have indeed enjoyed a wonderful weekend and feel thoroughly recharged with all the nastiness resolved and in the past 🙂

    Hope you’ve had a beautiful weekend x

  20. Sorry it was such a tough week. Sounds like you had a lovely weekend to recharge your batteries.
    Hopefully this week will bring lots of happy moments for you and your family.

  21. playing catchup
    I had the flu over the weekendpraying this week is better

    I had a friend when I was at school whom was a tom boy not saying Charlotte is a tomboy
    however I guess there must have been times when my friend was treated like that too
    she always hung out with the boys though 
    she reckoned they were more interesting than the girls and a whole lot less catty

    shame Charlotte has had this sort of trouble already

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