New Term

The last day of the school holidays. When you’re a child the summer holidays seem to last for an eternity. As a parent Mrs Zilla cannot wait for it to be over. Godzooky 1 doesn’t want to go back to school, yet he’s done nothing but complain about being bored for the last couple of days. He struggles to come up with entertainment for himself. Mrs Zilla’s parents did the child care before we had Godzooky 2. As the only grandchild and in their constant company during the week, they indulged him excessively. All his entertainment needs were provided, and his need to play on his own was nonexistent. Mrs Zilla gave up work when we had Godzooky 2 – she didn’t want to miss out on another childhood, and we both felt that it would be better for the children. Godzooky 2 has been left to her own devices for a lot of the time – necessity is the mother of invention, and she has plenty of imagination to create her own fun and games. Godzooky 1 is fine when there’s group activities or some one on one time, but he struggles to keep himself entertained. Some days when I’ve arrived home the house has been like a battlefield. Godzooky 1, being unable to create his own fun, constantly tries to join in with Godzooky 2. Having devised her own entertainment, she often doesn’t enjoy him gate crashing and trying to take over. As an only child I was reliant upon myself to find things to do. I can see the inherent advantage in having siblings as ready made playmates or confidants, but I also see the need to be independent and creative. I think I may need to spend more time with Godzooky 1 developing his imagination and creativity. At the moment everything I’ve try just seems to get “parroted” back. I don’t want him to feel frustrated and bored by his lack of creativity.