Parent Voice Autumn 09 blue.pmd - City of Darebin

Tips for settingup diverse playspaces:Don’t forget to reflectdiversity in gender roles...The dress-up box:• collect a range of play andwork clothes including:suits, ties, uniforms, pants,dresses, hard hats, scarves,kimonos, saris (or largepieces of fabric, high heels,sandals, bootsAlternatives to thepretend kitchen:• try setting up a workbench, an office, shop,hospital for humans oranimals, or a building site.Music:• include musicalinstruments from aroundthe world:eg. castanets, woodenflutes, bongo drums,gourds, coconut shells• play a range of music CDsfrom different countriesThe sandpit:• include a range of cookingutensils, eg. a wok, asaucepan, chop sticks,pizza tray, biscuit cutters(in a range of shapes), teapots or a bamboo steamer.Parent voices...Local parents share theirIhave a six year old daughter in grade one and I calculated I will turn 49 twoweeks before my son starts school. I recently caught up with an old schoolfriend who has 2 children – her son is in his third year at University in Londonand her daughter started University this year in Southampton.My first experience of pregnancy and pending motherhood was a meetingwith an obstetrician who called me a geriatric progravita (I changed doctors).I was recommended a number of tests that wouldn’t be recommended had Ibeen 5 years younger. I did them and all was ok. I loved being pregnant Iworked up until 36 weeks with both babies. I had high blood pressuretowards the end of both pregnancies and diabetes in the second pregnancy.Due to the high blood pressure I had an emergency caesarean at the firstbirth and I opted for one at the second birth as my blood pressure increased.Mum and babies were fine both times.My school friend who was 25 at the time of her first pregnancy, hadproblems falling pregnant, once pregnant she was heavily monitored and hadto take life slowly, thankfully all went well. Her second pregnancy was abreeze, no complications and she was full of energy. I remember beingastounded seeing her at home 2 days after giving birth like nothing hadhappened.My friend has now been happily married for more than 25 years; she and herhusband have the opportunity to travel, party, do dinner and love life. 20 yearsago they didn’t go out for dinner, spent weekends at the side of footy fieldand washed dirty clothes after guide camp.25 years ago I was working in London, planning trips overseas, theatres,parties and crazy clothes. Now my husband and I juggle swimming and dancinglessons, school and childcare drop offs and pick ups. A night out togetherrequires careful planning of baby sitters, now often opting for nights out withfriends whilst the other stays home to look after the kids.When my friend and I meet we laugh about how our lives have takenopposite directions, if we lived in the same country her children would be mybabysitters.Both of us have done what suited us as people at the time, neither is right orwrong. When we meet we have lots to talk about even though the thingshave happened at different times in our lives.A Reservoir mumCycling unites people of all sorts of persuasions– left-wing, right-wing, young, old,professional and unemployed. Added to this aredifferences in cycling and there is a whole worldof difference there. I imagine the same applies toNew Parent Groups and sporting groups.Kathy (mother of 2)4