Parents who
decide
to stay at home to
look after their children
NCT Article 01
I write
articles aimed at Dads for the NCT Magazine.
It's a less than serious look at Fatherhood and
I'd hope it balances the maternal tone. Judge
for yourself...
NCT Magazine Article
01
NCT Magazine Article
02
NCT Magazine Article
03
NCT Magazine Article
04
Film Reviewers Guide
Article
Funny.co.uk Little Britain
report
Anyone thumbing through the
press or flicking through the TV channels
would be forgiven for thinking that
everyone is cool, unconventional, wild
and errr, cool. Gorgeous, perma-tanned,
lithe, uber- groomed people, usually
called something like Lhyle, or Saylorre
confidently sip Champagne in VIP boxes
and look on as longer limbed, thinner,
gorgeous people, with even more
unpronouncable names like Xsseus and
Qristill wear impractical clothes and
stride like pre-teens on stilts down a
"runway". As an aside why do clothes
designers look like they have personally
shopped at British Heart Foundation? And
celebrity hair stylists look as if the
clothes designers did their hair?
Builders houses syndrome I expect...
I digress...
When children feature in this
chic, movie star, jet set lifestyle they
are wonderfully co-ordinated, darling
little jewels adorning the great and the
good. Beautiful, intelligent little
accessories sitting poised and confident
in designer styled houses, or emerging
from London townhouses in the latest
buggy de-jour, into a waiting car
(probably laid on by some production
company or other) to be whisked off with
the Nanny to a waiting jet, private of
course dahling and shuttled to wherever
their 5 star parents have managed to
assemble the world's press by frolicking
semi-naked on an exotic beach with each
other, or for maximum impact, with
someone elses parents. All of this is
achieved by working for three minutes a
week publicising the latest diet which
has spiritually changed their life. In
this modern world you can be a slim,
successful, hi-flying, sexy, jet-set
parent and pursue whatever career you
care to turn your hand to. I think
Madonna has a lot to answer for and not
just ra-ra skirts and mesh tops in the
eighties. BTW, Madonna, if you're reading
this, stop wearing the Burberry flat cap
you look like an unconvincing extra from
Steptoe and Son.
To be conventional and "normal"
in this hi-gloss, digitally enhanced
world is geeky, nerdy, L7 man, something
reserved only for authority figures and
your parents. Nights must be late,
mornings must be non-existant, music must
be played at I.Q. reducing levels and you
must have an annual subscription to The
Priory. Rebel, throw off the shackles of
oppressive bosses, "Hang" with your
homies, dude, you're no wage slave.
Sunglasses must be grafted onto movie
star looks, if you don't have looks to
die for then a fortnight in a Lithuanian
clinic, drinking mud and subjecting
yourself to treatments which may
contravene the EU Human Rights Act with a
little nipping and tucking or a lot of
it, depending if you are in your twenties
or not to help rid yourself of any
unsightly folds, creases or wrinkles that
unsportingly refuse to respond to
botox.
The less-than-Hollywood, work-a-day reality is
of course life is not one long round of
celebrity packed film premiers, facelifts and
chariddy shag-athons. We need to work, we need
to earn, we need money, we need to bring home
the bacon, or indeed, quorn. Unfortunately no
one has explained the economics of the
situation to junior, don't bother trying
either, they are too busy drinking milk or
dribbling. Whatever your personal situation;
married, co-habiting, single or lottery winner,
certain fiscal arrangements need to be
addressed and planned for however balanced
against that are the nurturing needs of the new
born and in this media saturated world you
would be forgiven for thinking that
stay-at-home parents are a decreasing minority
and that women really can and do have it all
and men are the equivalent of walking sperm ATM
machines with wallets.
Having been privvy to the secret
world of parenting for nearly a year now
I am amazed at how many two parent
families I have met who have ignored the
have-it-all pan-sexual propaganda and
divided their share of responsibilites
along gender lines. Dad goes out to the
office to earn and Mum stays at home and
does all the work. Not everyone has this
arrangement, but definitely a majority of
the couples I have met. It's the same
here at chez Morrison, even though my
working hours are unconventional and I
can be out 'till 3 or 4 am or away for a
few days. Everyday Jemma is maintaining
the rhythym of the household, rather like
a watchman, winding the clock keeping it
running, maintaining, overseeing, in
charge and I must state publically that
without her contribution I could not have
achieved all that I have done.
Would I swap places with Jemma?
This is something which Trisha asked me
(sorry for dragging you on there Jem!)
and at the time my mouth said, "yes I
would", but my head said "and stop having
fun? Babies are boring, cute, but
boring".
I now know that I would prefer to stay at home,
spending time with Jaya and Jemma is much more
fun than repeating "Right Kerfuffle" over and
over to a bunch of moronic drunken idiots at 1
in the morning in a nightclub in Solihull who
have fallen hook, line and sinker for the media
saturated over hyped top-of-the-pops world
view.
Babies are not boring, far from it, they are
like the best gadget in the world, every day
they do something new, achieve a new milestone,
imitate you but look cuter doing it. Being a
contributor to that process, you have a chance
to mould, shape and create a human being, now
that is truly cool and you don't need to change
the batteries, set it to a Drum and Bass sound
track or have a Burberry account to do any of
it.
Would I swap places now? Yes,
but like Gordon Brown and the Euro there
would have to be the right economic
conditions to do so, but Jemma will still
look better in a dress and makeup than I
do...
All original material ©
1997-2006 Stuart Morrison and DS Ltd
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