Emotional Learning

A young Mum and Dad came to my till whilst I was working. They looked angry, bitter and short tempered. They had two children who they kept shouting at and telling them to shut up and behave, they had vicious voices, when I wasn't really sure what the children were doing. I even heard him tell his girlfriend to "shut the fuck up" at one point. All they bought were a load of Pot Noodles and various other readymade stuff. It's only a snapshot of that family but it has been lingering on my mind for a while.

It just makes me wonder what kind of environment the children are growing up in if they talk to their children and each other like that. I haven't had children myself, but I think some people must think just keeping the children alive is all that is necessary for parenthood. They're burdens and you just have to drag them through the days with you. That children aren't precious beings, they own them and can do what they like with them - they did make them after all.

I was thinking that in many deprived areas children do tend to have behaviour problems and have pasttimes of crime and smoking and no aspirations. I think one thing that may help is if they had "emotional learning" classes in school. I don't think a few classes about the birds and the bees is very good. I remember I had only one lesson on it where I was given a carrot and a condom and left to my own devices, then we watched a 30 minute VHS about it too. So many girls in my year at school have their own kids now and quite a few girls were pregnant in year 11 at school.

If in schools it was as compulsory as P.E to have weekly or monthly classes about all aspects of relationships, emotions, life, then I think it would be helpful, as with many families at home their parents don't have the skills to teach them such things.

Relationships and emotions are the centre of us as human beings, so it should be considered important enough to explore in schools.

Better out than in

Six breadcakes (Or "bread rolls" I think they are called if you aren't from Yorkshire-y areas...!)
A pile of chips
Two Magnums (the icecreams, not weapons. However ammo probably would have been the healthier option)

I feel gluttonous. Reading the words make me feel sick.

I have a strange relationship with food. All my life I have stuffed it into my mouth until I've felt sick and everyday is always the planned day that I will never eat badly ever again. Weight Watchers is more like a revolution in my life than a healthy eating plan as it has changed the way I am with food. Well it has curbed my habits with food. I need someone to be watching over me, and someone to report to weekly about my eating habits, otherwise I will descend into unhealthy eating and then my weight will ascend.

The way I lust after food worries me. Before I take my first few bites, I think it's the best thing I could possibly do and will make me happier than anything. It follows with guilt and thoughts of self-loathing.

Yet I still continue.

I enjoy Weight Watchers as I can eat most things and feel guilt free. I do get hungry, and long for chocolate sometimes but I am still carrying on with it.

I think the important thing with losing weight is persistance. One of the things that puts people off attending the weigh-in is if they have put weight on and have to face their gain on the scales in front of someone. I find this helpful as it gives me a reality check and helps regain my motivation. You have to accept that some weeks will be "bad" and you might "go off track". If you can accept this will happen, and you might go a few steps back from time to time, it's easier to carry on ahead.

I was just over 13 stone when I began my new way of eating and I'm around 10 and a half stone now...it does feel like a burden has lifted but also like I have a long way to go, and this struggle with food and the desire to eat and eat, will be with me for life...so I guess I will be attending Weight Watchers for a very long time.

Little Rat

Like pigeons, rats are considered vermin in society. They go all over the place scavaging for food. I took this photograph of a dead rat and showed it to my Mum but she didn't have sympathy because it's "vermin".

I think if a rat jumped upto me and viciously attacked me, and I ran down the street and it still didn't stop chasing me, I'd have less sympathy with this particular rat and have reservations when coming across other rats and probably write a blog post about the Horrible Rats.

But that hasn't happened and from my experience they scurry about, keeping out of people's way, living the life that was thrust upon them as best that they can, like all creatures.

I suppose if they were inhabiting in your home they would be a nuisance. I haven't personally lived in a "rat infested" home luckily, and if I did I probably would resort to a mouse trap, or the least painful thing out there if there is anything. Apparently they are covered in disease, it makes my argument to like rats a bit more difficult, but still, it's only because of their life as outsiders they are like this-what they have inside them and covering them is horrible, but they aren't malicious.

I may be hypocritical with my sympathy as when it comes to insects inside my house and things like that I want the motherfuckers dead. I do try and waft insects out of a window if possible and I'm not really bothered about wood lice and things like that as they can't hurt me.

However, once when I was sleeping in my sister's new house in New Zealand I awoke in the middle of the night to find the wall covered in ants. I spent the rest of the night upset and scared, trying to lay as still as possible..the next morning they were all over the walls in the house, in the cupboards, on the floor..it was really horrible. I had no empathy for them then, I just cared about a non-infested house and being able to sleep peacefully.

I suppose, in conclusion, I don't mind rats as long as they keep out of my way, and all other non-cute, non-sociable creatures which they have done so far.