Oh, those parks...

(image copied from http://www.foundshit.com/merry-go-round-teddy-bear/)

I don't have good feelings when it comes to parks of our town.
* they are overloaded. Often big children are playing a kind of football there so you have to be careful not to be hit by a ball while trying to relax yourself
* Ilaria has to eat there because everybody has something to eat in the park (usually she is served by somebody else, as I don't use to take food with us outside the house).
* there we have to play babies because everybody plays babies.
* entering in a park without a ball is like killing myself slowly, as Ilaria also wants to play the ball. And she insists.
But, on the top of everything, the worst is that I have to educate other children there. I don't say here that I know everything and that I am the standard of parenting, but it doesn't take an expert eye to realize that there are too many spoiled and nasty children left alone in the parks to survive in society's jungle as toughly as they want.
Too many parents of nowadays seem to be too busy to include into their daily schedule any of their own children's education.

So, I try to avoid parks as much as possible. But, of course, this becomes harder and harder.

Two days ago we were in a park and Ilaria wanted to enjoy herself in a merry-go-round. This kind of merry-go-round:

Unfortunately for us, when we reached the park, merry-go-round was already "taken" by a boy and a girl 5-6 years old. Boy's mother was sitting on a bench speaking on the phone and not giving a damn about her son. Girl's grandmother was there, near the children, tongue tied, proud to hear her niece proclaiming herself "wind's princess, as I like the wind so much!".
Both children showed to be troubled by "baby" Ilaria who was just coming to spoil their "so much fun". From now on they had to spin slower and, as the girl said: "slow is so boring!".
As long as we stayed there I had to defend ourselves of remarks coming from 5-6 years old children!!! Remarks like these:
"I was the 1st one here, so we will spin fast, as I like fast" (girl) (I suggested her that maybe being the 1st there made her bored already so she should try some other activity. I wasn't cogent enough. She stayed.)
"I have an idea. I will spin as fast as I can so the baby will stun and she will leave" (boy)
"Oh, that baby girl! Here she comes again! Ufffff" (girl)
"This baby drive us bored. We are older and we want to spin faster." (boy) (I suggested him too that maybe having fun somewhere else would have made him happier. Again I wasn't very cogent. He also stayed longer.)
......

I am pretty sure those children were the future selfish people, each of them the one-and-only child of their parents, never having to share something with a "baby".

My heart went out watching my little girl sitting there, next to so much nastiness, being unable to defend herself. At least not yet. And my second thought went to children that are "different". Children that won't be able to defend themselves ever. Society and "normal" people would simply ignore, marginalize and destroy them from the very beginning of their life.

It's such a pity to hear people around us complaining so often when speaking about education: "Teaching is not as good as it was in the past!". I would say parenting is even worse!

P.S.: today we visited the same park and history seemed to repeat. Merry-go-round was "taken" again, this time by 2 girls and 1 boy. The boy was spinning the merry-go-round. His mother was there and when the speed was "too fast for girls" she intervened immediately and warned her son to slow down. At a second glance I noticed that boy's mother was pregnant with her 2nd :-)
Pin It

"Where children sleep"

I started thinking we are out of space here. Starting with October we should be 4 people in 2 rooms.
I started to wake up in the morning thinking who will sleep where, with whom as room-mate and in which bed. (and I still don't have a clear picture about it.)
I am complaining often, especially about neighbors who disturb our sleep and who don't allow us to aerate our house right when we want (because the ones beneath us smoke in the window and the ones above us clean their carpets out of the window) and who... but OK, I don't mention anything more...

I complain on weather too, especially in these hot days when temperature in Ilaria's room rises up to 28 Celsius degrees!

To be short, I often forget to be grateful for what we have and I find myself criticizing and wanting more.
Today a special link came into my way. It is that kind of reminder which make you realize that yes, there are many living better than you do, but there could be even more living worse. Much worse!
It made me realize one more time that our children are not growing up, as I would like, in the garden of Eden, full of trees, flowers and bees, but they have many opportunities that others don't even dare to dream about.


Here is the link that melted my heart today.


And here is the book.


Have a wonderful week-end and... don't forget to be grateful! You surely have many reasons!
Raluca
Pin It

Bears, bears, everywhere

We live in Brasov, the most beautiful town of Romania ( after my native town, Sighisoara ;-) ), a mountain town surrounded by woods and often visited by bears! You can find out more on Brasov's and Romanian bears by watching this wonderful movie: YouTubeMovie.

I think I also have something in common with bears: when Ilaria was little I was so tensioned and jealous on anybody who was going close to my baby, just like a mother bear. It's known how dangerous it is to meet a mother bear with babies. The same was meeting me in first months of Ilaria's life! My mother knows the best, from her own experience..

So, it's not a big surprise that my daughter has an awful hobby: she likes to dig into the trash, just like the little teddy bears:

Sometimes I find her sweet doing this and I let her free to explore. And she's so capable! ;-)

Pin It

Natural beauties

When on Tuesday morning my father exclaimed: "Look, a deer!", I was sure he was saying that in order to distract Ilaria from a breakable object she would have handled. Looking out the window, I have seen the nice view:

It passed centuries (to be more exact, about 10 years) since I've seen last time such beauties from my parents' flat's window. And when we were kids it was something usual that my mother was waking us up during winter at about 6 o'clock in the morning to watch the groups of 5-7 deers which were coming out the woods to drink water or to eat.

This time it was around 10 o'clock and the group had only 2 members. They were so beautiful and so peaceful! Some cars and people were passing by them at about 20 meters distance and they were not afraid at all.

It was a surprise prepared by nature, special for us, starting with years ago. Thanks, nature, for the beautiful show!

So long, dear deer!

Pin It

For the 1st time with public transportation

Don't get me wrong. The title refers to Ilaria, not to me :-)

As yesterday in Brasov was the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and the best Romanian Christmas carols singer, Ştefan Hruşcă, was singing for the event, we didn't want to miss the opportunity and we participated (we = Ilaria, me, my mother and my mother in law; Adrian is not part of the story, as he is in a job trip to Vienna currently).

The town's center was so crowded that we decided the best would be to use public transportation.

Waiting in the bus station I had the feeling that I was doing something wrong. Buses that were coming were very crowded. I decided to wait for the 1st bus that was going to our wanted destination and in case that it would have been too crowded, then me and Ilaria wouldn't have gone further and would have turned back home. Immediately after this decision was taken, an empty bus (only the driver in it) came! Imagine how lucky we felt. I thought that for Ilaria would be a lot of fun. And I wasn't wrong at all... 

We jumped in, took our places and the 40 minutes long (instead of the 10 minutes long) trip begun. The town was so full of cars that our bus was staying more then moving.

Again we felt very lucky, as our bus was not crowding at all in stations.

But life is full of surprises and the lady sitting next to us soon started to entertain Ilaria more than I would have permitted her... if she would have asked...

Unfortunately she didn't ask and she started to push Ilaria's nose, to give Ilaria her purse to play with, and, on the top of all, to take Ilaria on her lap and to snuggle with her!! All those with me there, near them, unable to say anything against. I was staying there, looking at them, struggling between saying "stop now, lady!" or being a "nice" person and allow her to do whatever she wanted with my darling little girl. And I ended... saying nothing! Of course, immediately after reaching the destination and escaped the too-friendly woman, I declared I won't ever have the same passive behavior in the future. Will I be strong enough to keep my promise??

The square where the event took place was so crowded, that I was the only one in our group able to see Hruşcă, from around 40 meters distance! Our mothers proved to be too short for such a challenge.

In the end, our adventure was beneficial, as our 1 and respective 62 years old group members (Ilaria and my mom) enjoyed a lot their 1st live fireworks!

I still ask myself: what if that lady was ill?

Pin It

Incredible, but true!

Few days ago, I couldn't believe my eyes seeing for the 1st time in my life a MAN washing non-office windows! So I took him a picture, to be sure I was not dreaming :-)

Please leave a comment here and tell me what do you think about him:

a) he is a loving husband (he shares the domestic chores with his wife and washing windows is part of his responsibility)

b) he is single (so, if not him, then who else?)

c) that's his job (he was payed to do the miserable chore)

d) he lost a bet ( that's Adrian's idea :-) )

e) there must be something else there - your ideas are welcomed

I know, life can be so full of surprises... But I go for a... "b)" ;-)

Have a nice and happy day!

Raluca

Pin It