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The Authentic Eclectic
Dropping My Kids Off In The Dark
This morning, it was 3 degrees Celsius and dark outside when I dropped my kids and the two nearest neighbours’ kids off at their local primary school. They are all native Brits, so they don’t feel vaguely apocalyptic about being at some vast, stony schoolyard in the dark of a morning, as I do. I pulled away after one last reminder to the youngest to “put her hood up” (for the love of…) and headed back home in the rainy gloom.
Radio 4 was discussing something about how hellish cold it was back in the day, kids walking to school barefoot in the snow, eating boiled onion for supper, etc. It was all regarding the economic stagnation the UK experienced (the worst decade for growth, evah, apparently) during the so-called Roaring Twenties of the last century. A lot of politicians here have promised us another Roaring Twenties this century. They could be closer to the truth than they intended. It was only great for America, apparently.
I can’t imagine what a child growing up now has to dream about in their future. Where the hell are we going on this island? Is school even teaching them anything, or am I just sending them off for socializing? What jobs are they going to want or need? Where is the affordable housing being built with green materials? When is the rewilding with native species happening? Sigh.