The battle between Bruised knees and playing safely!

I was walking past a parent the other day that was saying to their children, "walk sensibly or you will fall over". This made me think about my childhood of adventure, cuts and scrapes and exploration. I  also had the problem of having very poor balance due to a hearing impediment.
My parents could have kept me indoors for fear of some terrible accident but thankfully they did not and as a result I have many good memories and certainly gained many valuable skills because I was able to take risks. Would it be the end of the world if a child fell over and hurt themselves?

There always should be a limit to the freedom a child should have, it would be unwise to let a 5 year old go wandering unaccompanied but a 10 year old is certainly capable of following instructions of where not to go and stranger danger etc.  I think it is more limiting to restrict your child, they will grow into adulthood having never taken any risks, how scary that must be.
It is a matter of only giving them the trust you know they are capable of handling, it is very satifying to see your children becoming increasingly sensible, accomplished and reliable individuals. I have 3 children aged  18y, 13y and 7 months, I began by giving each of the older ones tasks and responsibilities that would encourage independence such as letting them venture out, tidying up after themselves and making decisions. it's the simple things that work best. Other things worth trying is letting your child wander around the playground without being glued to them, of course you will need to let them know about the dangers (swing in face, slippery floor etc.) or you could encourage them to use equipment that they find slightly scary, like jumping off the fireman's pole or climbing a large climbing frame,  you could join in instead of watching!

You may recall the game British Bulldog,  it has been banned after the government told schools to stop the game due to fears of compensation claims. check out this BBC article and the comments below it, what do you think about our risk adverse society?

Other interesting articles:
Fair play for children.
Are you allowed to play out?

I don't believe it, parents enjoying events!

I cannot tell you how many thank yous and various positive comments we have had after entertaining little ones at weddings and christenings. A couple of Mums recently (Sefton Cricket Club, Liverpool) admitted it was the first time in ages they had been able to have a decent uninterrupted conversation.

There is a lot of choice for entertainment options at a wedding or christening, we may entertain the children but they certainly are not the only ones that benefit, gone are the days when a parent is so busy entertaining their children that they don't manage to have a sensible conversation or enjoy an event as an adult. Even those that are not hiring a mobile creche or children's entertainer can do much to help the time pass more enjoyably, check out my article below about good activity ideas.

The mysteries of marketing!

As you all know, I am trying to promote my first fundraising event for the créche and playcentre. Despite sending information to various networks such as: The Social Enterprise Network, University of Liverpool and T-shirts and Suits creative network, I have had absolutely no response whatsoever.
It occurred to me that maybe e-mailing is not the most effective promotional tool, imagine my surprise when after only a few phone calls I had sold a good number of tickets and many more had promised to look into it. It appears that a personal touch is the ticket.

Another surprising result is how much easier it has been to obtain prizes. I have obtained a lovely swirls Dress from Amanda Seaborne, her range Damsel in a Dress is one of the lines that John Lewis stocks, I have also been given a gorgeous exclusive cheese board and knife set that Angela of  ARK Contemporary design has made.

If anyone has any other pearls of wisdom, short of dressing up as a christmas tree and walking round Liverpool