"The Returnee..."

We are in the middle of a roller coaster of transition. We left Uganda on 1st July, and travelled to visit Dan's family in America... Now we arrive in England, where I have not lived since 1992, almost twenty years ago... I left young free and single, and return with an American husband and two children, aged 11 and 9... I hope to describe the experiences of "the Returnee", with, no doubt, flashbacks to our African life, and commentary from my children along the way...

Tuesday 24 July 2012

A beautiful day... at the skating park

Today Abigail was invited by a school friend to go on a lovely Cookery Day at an organic farm kind of place... so while she was away at her "finishing school" day for nice gels, Alex and I went to the other side of town, to the skating park. Alex had gone once before and wanted to bring his BMX bike and his roller blades, to try out the ramps and the dirt bike track. We went and he had the most fun hour or two whizzing around, his hair blowing in the wind... We enviously watched the teenage boys who can go all the way up the ramps and do a little jump at the top to hike the bike up and over the edge - Alex can't do that yet.

There were just a few other kids around, and a lot of graffiti, and empty coke bottles and beer cans, and an older man sitting on his own on a backpack, smoking and gazing into nothing. There were definitely no other mums around with handbags and dogs...

It crossed my mind that in a couple more years I wouldn't really want Alex to be frequenting the skating park, without me. Perhaps I shouldn't be encouraging him. But he should at least be prepared for those inevitable years...

So I thought of a little speech and began: "Alex, do you know about "Just Say No"?" "What?" "Do you know the golden rule, "Just Say No"?" "Um..." "Do you know what I'm talking about? This is just the kind of place somebody might come up to you and offer you drugs." "Mum, I know, (much rolling of the eyes) - and did you know that by my age, 38 % of kids have been offered drugs?" "How do you know that?! And have you ever been offered drugs?!" "No, Mum, of course not. We learned all about it in school."

Well, good. And Lord, help me - and protect my children!












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1 comment:

  1. Brooke27 July 2012 at 18:28

    I'm with you, Rosie! Landon (already!) got a skateboard for Christmas, and he loves to go to the skate park and watch older boys (very few girls) skate. At least there is an activity that requires skill and balance that most of those who frequent these places take seriously enough that they may not want to compromise their performance with substances. But indeed, Lord help!

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