First warm day of spring

The first day of decent weather in Scotland is something to celebrate. This has been the first warm day since the harsh winter here in the UK and the first thing you notice is children. They are everywhere and that’s a good thing, but parenting skills are so different from my mother’s day and my own mothering years.

 

Is it me or are toddlers today constantly unhappy? Today I saw about 16 small kids just walking about crying for no real reason, socks flapping through sandal toes, snivelling and whingeing behind mums in the park. The mum’s by the way were either screaming at them (because shouting into a child’s face will always stop them from whingeing wont it?) or pulling them by the arms as they screeched louder. I was aghast.

 

The babies aren’t getting a better deal either.

 

I spotted was a young mother running along the busy main street, banging up and down pavements in what can only be described as an off-road four gear, three wheeled pram.

She was in sports wear, with a saggy new-baby belly, full milky breasts and a new born baby wailing loudly, but she was getting fit.

 

I cant imagine there is a worse way to celebrate new life and rejuvenation than punishing yourself days after childbirth by pounding the city full of heat, fumes and chemicals as your new born gets the full on gravity test in a padded pram. ‘Go home you crazy lady and let your stitches heal and your give your breasts a break’ I wanted to shout, but I didn’t I merely watched her and felt sorry for her.

 

My own two great-nieces were with me, Abigail is six and Julia is three. They spent almost two and half hours playing at throwing a bean bag at pigeon’s in-between eating ice cream and singing songs about piglets and ducks. They are happy kids (thank goodness) and tend to amuse each other, I am sure when they get older they will probably declare a war between them but until then, I love having them with me.

 

Beside us on the wooden bench in Kelvingrove Park, were a bunch of languid spotty teenagers, who managed to fulfil the Glasgow stereo type of swearing loudly, drinking beer and shouting at each other. I simply ignored them and the girls occasionally shot them a look when a loud filthy word came out of their mouths.

I reckoned they were just about 16 or 17 years old and learning to be full grown human men and this is the stuff they go through to get there. People shook their heads and sneered at them which only annoyed the young guys more, they spat, smoked and drank more beer.

 

Just then Julia came battering at full tilt on her two chubby legs down from the grassy verge, she was gaining an Olympic type speed and I could see she wasn’t going to be able to stop.

My heart was gripped with fear and I wasn’t sure I could reach her.

At that moment one of the skinny youths dropped his beer can, ran towards her and picked her up quickly just as she was losing her footing at near the concrete path.

 

The tension was over, and the boys all cheered the young guy for his quick heroics. I thanked him and congratulated him on his fast reflexes, he looked so happy to be praised. The mood changed and everyone smiled at the big skinny boy who stopped Julia from getting a bad fall.

 

The girls carried on running happily on grass, mothers hugged babies, women shouted at toddlers, dogs barked and a young guy with a full grown alive python snake wrapped around his neck cycled along the pathway and silenced everyone for a few moments.

 

The first warm day of spring in a Glasgow Park.