Just wanted to say that we don't want any cheeky ads on our blog - from people trying to sell stuff that we don't want - so I have changed our settings so that we have to approve all your comments - but don't worry! We won't sensor you - just the rubbish that has been mass sent!
Hope you're all enjoying your Spring issue - have had a few people tell me already it's our best issue yet!! Get out there and get it - in shops this week!
xo
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Smacking...
Okay. Anna’s been pointing out how crappy our blog is and gently pushing us all (Charlotte, me and herself) to get writing…so I am resisting my inner luddite to put a few words down (or is it up?)
I have been watching with interest the slapping/no slapping of children debate in New Zealand. I’ll nail my colours to the mast here and now and say that I am fervently anti-smacking for lots of reasons (maybe the topic for another blog entry?). I was (pleasantly) surprised when the New Zealand government chose not to go with the majority in their recent referendum on removing the ‘no smacking’ laws which were introduced there a few years ago. So, in a nutshell, the majority of those who voted wanted the law to be removed—so that smacking was no longer a criminal offence—and the government decided to ignore the majority and keep the law. I guess there’s another debate (another blog entry?) to be had about whether or not governments should behave in what could be seen as a paternalistic way.
It’s easy to be clear, definite and to take the moral high ground when all is going well, but yesterday I had one of those moments when my firmly held beliefs (about smacking and about myself) were put to the test. I was saying goodbye to some friends after a long walk and natter when my two-and-a-half year old boy quietly disappeared on me. I spotted his curly, golden locks bobbing along as he ran happily through a busy car park towards our car. As soon as he heard my anxious calls, he hid behind another car and waited. By the time I found him I was full of fear, anger and relief all at the same time. The look of defiance on his face was the thing that tipped me into the realms of wanting to hit him. But why? Hit him for not listening? Hit him for the terror his running off had caused me? Hit him to teach him a lesson? Hit him to relieve my own anger?
I didn’t hit him. I bundled him into the car, locked the doors, stood outside for a few minutes and breathed. All the while, he was inside the car screaming and thrashing around…I couldn’t help thinking that he was expressing my rage and fear for me! A few minutes later he calmed down…and some time after that I calmed down and I was able to tell him clearly, strongly and with love (and a slight ‘mum’s really upset’ edge to my voice) what was unsafe about what he’d just done and why I was cross.
Everything was calm and sweet after that…and I was left to think about what had happened. It really just reinforced why I am anti-smacking. All of the times I have felt close to smacking and nearly all of the smacking I have witnessed or heard about has been about relieving the feelings of the parent, not about what is in the best interests of the child in that moment.
Well, it looks like I’ve thought of at least two more blog entries to write, so hopefully this will be the first of many. Thanks to all the Barefoot supporters…hope you enjoy the Spring issue, which will be out in shops next week. Subscribers already have theirs…one of the benefits of subscribing!
Rachel
I have been watching with interest the slapping/no slapping of children debate in New Zealand. I’ll nail my colours to the mast here and now and say that I am fervently anti-smacking for lots of reasons (maybe the topic for another blog entry?). I was (pleasantly) surprised when the New Zealand government chose not to go with the majority in their recent referendum on removing the ‘no smacking’ laws which were introduced there a few years ago. So, in a nutshell, the majority of those who voted wanted the law to be removed—so that smacking was no longer a criminal offence—and the government decided to ignore the majority and keep the law. I guess there’s another debate (another blog entry?) to be had about whether or not governments should behave in what could be seen as a paternalistic way.
It’s easy to be clear, definite and to take the moral high ground when all is going well, but yesterday I had one of those moments when my firmly held beliefs (about smacking and about myself) were put to the test. I was saying goodbye to some friends after a long walk and natter when my two-and-a-half year old boy quietly disappeared on me. I spotted his curly, golden locks bobbing along as he ran happily through a busy car park towards our car. As soon as he heard my anxious calls, he hid behind another car and waited. By the time I found him I was full of fear, anger and relief all at the same time. The look of defiance on his face was the thing that tipped me into the realms of wanting to hit him. But why? Hit him for not listening? Hit him for the terror his running off had caused me? Hit him to teach him a lesson? Hit him to relieve my own anger?
I didn’t hit him. I bundled him into the car, locked the doors, stood outside for a few minutes and breathed. All the while, he was inside the car screaming and thrashing around…I couldn’t help thinking that he was expressing my rage and fear for me! A few minutes later he calmed down…and some time after that I calmed down and I was able to tell him clearly, strongly and with love (and a slight ‘mum’s really upset’ edge to my voice) what was unsafe about what he’d just done and why I was cross.
Everything was calm and sweet after that…and I was left to think about what had happened. It really just reinforced why I am anti-smacking. All of the times I have felt close to smacking and nearly all of the smacking I have witnessed or heard about has been about relieving the feelings of the parent, not about what is in the best interests of the child in that moment.
Well, it looks like I’ve thought of at least two more blog entries to write, so hopefully this will be the first of many. Thanks to all the Barefoot supporters…hope you enjoy the Spring issue, which will be out in shops next week. Subscribers already have theirs…one of the benefits of subscribing!
Rachel
Monday, August 24, 2009
EcoKids Festival
For everyone who lives in Sydney, or feels liks a visit on Sunday 13th September - there is a great festival happening at Luna Park called EcoKids. You can find out more information at http://www.ecokidsfestival.com.au/
The Eco Kids Festival has been designed to allow a single point of access to a wealth of information on living sustainably both for children and their parents over a single day.
The festival has been designed to allow the children attending the unique opportunity to gain access to the latest in green technologies, techniques and ideas, and experience them first hand while also enjoying an incredible day of entertainment.
Featured will be eco-workshops on everything from worm-farming to renewable energy, organic food stalls, recycled arts and crafts, sustainability experts to answer all of those tricky questions, interactive eco-gadgets and displays, roving performers and some of Australia’s best children’s entertainment.
I'm going to head up to it and check it out - they are thinking of bringing it to Melbourne next year.
Let us know if you go and give us some feedback on what you think...
Cheers
Anna
ox
Spring is in the air...
So the big news on the Barefoot front is that Spring is ready to go!
Received this afternoon, lovingly put into envelopes (although we had a dud batch of envelopes that wouldn't seal very well which created some serious frustration!) and tomorrow I'm going to juggle two kids and a great deal of boxes and get to the Post Office. So...Melbournites will get their copy mid week and all our other lovely subscribers should get their copies later in the week or early next week..
If you haven't subscribed, then you're going to have to wait till the end of next week, which is when Spring will be in stores. Yet another benefit of subscribing..what are you waiting for?
I really want to add another image down here but am such a novice at this blog thing - I'm going to have to put up a different post...
Cheers
anna
ox
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
So our new website is up!! No more broken or non existent links! So hopefully all of you who tried to have a look on our blog, can now find it! Say hello to us! Introduce yourself!
We are all madly getting ready to send our Spring issue to the printers and it is going to be such an amazing issue - about families and friendships, the earth, birth and death and so much more. It will such a full, exciting read for you all - sometimes I wish I was a subscriber so that I could just pick it up fresh and read it cover to cover all over again! (Perhaps I'll do that...)
Anyway - still waiting for one of you to take the initiative and write on our blog - isn't that what people do on these things??
Hope you're all well where-ever you are.
Take care
anna
ox
We are all madly getting ready to send our Spring issue to the printers and it is going to be such an amazing issue - about families and friendships, the earth, birth and death and so much more. It will such a full, exciting read for you all - sometimes I wish I was a subscriber so that I could just pick it up fresh and read it cover to cover all over again! (Perhaps I'll do that...)
Anyway - still waiting for one of you to take the initiative and write on our blog - isn't that what people do on these things??
Hope you're all well where-ever you are.
Take care
anna
ox
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