Dear Dorky Mum,
First, thank you for your patience. Me traveling two out of three weeks is not easy on us. The Dorkys like proximity.
I have been to Africa to do my job. Liberia, first, then Mozambique. In both places we drove away from the cities and well into the bush, looking for the outreach and effectiveness of the work Save the Children does.
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I’ve got a guest post on the blog today – the first ever one I have agreed to publish anonymously – from a father who won’t be able to spend this Sunday with his children. I know he would appreciate your comments.
Father’s Day. A day when children give their fathers hand-made cards, cuddles and another round of unwanted gifts. They do this to let their fathers know how much they are loved and appreciated. Alternatively, it is just a cynical marketing ploy to find another way to guilt consumers into spending money on various assorted tat masquerading as presents.
For some of us though, it is a yearly source of pain or, at best, a reminder of the most precious part of our lives that is missing most of the week. I fall into this camp as I only see my two children one day a week. Their mother asked me for a separation four years ago, we sadly went our different ways and started to think about the future. While I am happy for my ex to have custody during the week since their primary school is a five-minute walk from the matrimonial home, the weekends are still a battleground. Despite my best efforts and appealing to her via mediation, I still only have a limited time with my babies.
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Juliet Swann works as the Campaigns and Research Officer for the Electoral Reform Society in Scotland. The ERS are planning an exciting series of events to get the debate about Scotland’s democracy away from the politicians and into the hands of the people. This isn’t just a conversation about independence, it’s about what’s wrong with politics and how we can fix it, a topic Juliet blogs on below.
Maybe our democracy never really worked that well.
Maybe increased transparency and developments in technology mean that ordinary people are able to appreciate the realities of power and its misuse.
Maybe the modern age has seen an erosion of values such as public service and civic duty that have led to a loss of trust in politics.
Whatever the reasons, the truth is that trust in politics and democracy is ebbing away.
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I am very excited indeedy to have a guest post from the lovely Emily Quinton on the blog today. Emily somehow finds the time to look after her three beautiful children, work as a brilliant wedding and family photographer, and run a parenting blog called The Start Up Wife. She tweets as @EmilyQuinton and has a sparkly new Facebook page here – so go and say hello after you’ve read this post about drawing with children.
Dorkymum | Stories from Tasmania 