Instructions vs Intuition

Mrs Zilla is very happy with her new washing machine, I say “her” machine, but in reality if I don’t ensure I put my stuff in the machine myself, there is no guarantee it will ever make it there. So I thought of it more as “our” machine, especially as I paid for the thing! However, I am not allowed to touch “her” machine until I’ve read the instruction booklet. Now as a man, this is somewhat of a problem. Like most men I tend not to start with the instruction booklet, but try to figure things out intuitively. Of course after being frustrated for a few hours I will finally admit defeat and reach for the instructions. So I know what I’m doing this weekend then, learning how to operate our space age washing machine. Roll on the weekend. Parents’ evening wasn’t very enlightening. Heir No.1 is in the top group for Maths and English, the only problem being his handwriting. When he’s doing his homework he tries to rush things, and his handwriting gets scruffy. I always make him re-do the work so that it’s at least legible. At school some of his work was totally illegible. Apparently once the children have finished their assignments they can use the computer or play with toys in the classroom. The reason for him rushing all his work now becomes crystal clear – he wants to get off and do other things. So we’ve asked his teacher to ensure that he doesn’t keep on doing this and concentrates on his handwriting. Here’s hoping it works. I don’t necessarily want him to have the best handwriting in the world, but as someone who is fairly neat, I want him to have some pride in his writing.