Shared Experiences (From Bucks Free Press)

Shared Experiences

4:41pm Sunday 16th May 2010

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Last summer, our daughter achieved excellent results in her GCSEs, and I believe that our son will do the same next year. However, as much as I feel that gaining a good education will be beneficial to the two of them in later life, I also know that there is a great deal to be learned outside the classroom. Of course, school trips do introduce children to new experiences and environments but there are only a couple of these within any academic year.

With this in mind, my husband and I have continually strived to enhance our children’s awareness by taking them to a variety of different places. Beckie and Chris have visited museums, art galleries, been to many theatrical events including Shakespeare, and done quite a lot of travelling in their comparatively short lives.

Sadly, there is one area that we have neglected, and that is sport. My husband and I have never really had much interest in anything sporty, and our impartiality has rubbed off on the kids. We did make an effort a few years back, and treated them to a day out at Bovingdon banger racing. The last race of the day was a demolition derby so, despite the bitter weather, we stayed to the end. On leaving, our huddled bodies left one of the few patches of ground untouched by the hailstones that had thudding down upon the spectators, so that outing is memorable for the wrong reason!

In contrast, music has not been ignored. As a family, we’ve attended many different sorts performances including classical, pop, blues and jazz, and many of the London stage musicals. This week even, we spent an evening in the company of legendary rock band Kiss – a breathtaking extravaganza involving fireworks, explosions, flying musicians, and an incredible amount of decibels! The trip left us all exhausted, and our ears ringing, but boy, what an occasion!

Of course, as they grow older and more independent, and start to follow their own tastes, I realise that these family excursions will become rarer, so I am extremely glad we have taking the opportunity to do all these things together.

You may be thinking that these sorts of things are all very nice if you can afford them, but a glance at the shabby decor around our home would quickly tell you that we’ve made sacrifices in other areas. That’s all right though, because let’s face it; when did buying some pretty wallpaper or taking delivery of a new dining table ever make a cherished childhood memory?

Bye for now.

Tania Greenwood