Bringing Them Up

Tim Gill, a former director of the Children's Play Council, freelance writer and consultant, concludes his advice on bringing up children:

'The process by which a child grows into his or her moral skin is a mysterious one. It needs from adults a subtle blend of firmness, understanding and benign neglect. It needs an appreciation of both the extent and the limitations of children's competences and how these evolve through childhood. And as the archbishop (Rowan Williams - Archbishop of Canterbury) reminds us, it needs clarity about the direction of travel of all our moral journeys.'

[The full text of the article is accessible from the Links column]

Nuts ... What Nuts ?

The catering service providing snacks at a teachers' Professional Development Centre showed keenness to notify those attending a course on 'Managing the Behaviour of Under 5s'. Immediately under this title was the advice 'These biscuits may contain nuts'. If, as one suspects, the course was about aspects of poor behaviour among the young, then the notice should, perhaps, have read 'These nuts may contain biscuits'?

Spring to Life

Reference has made in relation to O: The Intimate History of the Orgasm by Jonathan Margolis (Arrow £7.99) that the serotonin rush on the right side of the brain is clocked at 156 mph. With, say, two orgasms a week at 10 seconds per frantic surge then that's a total of almost 15 ecstatic minutes a year. Who was it who said that if all the participants were laid end-to-end, he wouldn't be a bit surprised ?

Speed of Light

When things are at their darkest, in late December, the days begin to lengthen at a slow rate - about one minute per week. That rate of increase accelerates, particularly in early March, and as Spring approaches over two minutes of light are added every evening.

Taking Stock

The ideas below were put together during a two-year period of weblogging while I was working in education.

Then I switched my interests to other matters including marketing, company administration, editorships, webmastering, public-speaking and freelance-writing.

My personal circumstances have now changed and my lifestyle is being amended.

Please take a look at what is offered by the organisations with which I am involved:

www.esbtraining.com

www.times4.net

www.gatliff.org.uk

www.homesinromania.co.uk


Skills to learn; things to hear; places to visit; people to meet; friends to enjoy.

Holiday Over the Horizon

'To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.' (Philip Andrew Adams)

Ten for '04

There are many ways of trying to improve our everyday existence. Take ten:

1 Increase self-esteem so that we matter more to others

2 Be aware of the genius within ourselves that needs releasing

3 Being responsible for ourselves includes choosing our own moods

4 Being responsive to others involves interest, conversing and smiling

5 Taking action needs to start with the easier, confidence-building tasks

6 Taking risks within the parameters of common sense is vital

7 Working out what works for us can reduce investment in wasteful activities

8 Repetition reminds and prompts actions

9 Watching our words and rephrasing our thoughts releases new insights

10 Devise measures of personal happiness to indicate degrees of success