Family – Page 7 – neilhayeswrites

Learning

May 12, 2017 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Do you remember when learning was so much fun? Learning how to throw stones is very different to, let’s say, particle physics. But, at the same time, the joy of knowledge should be the same.

Watching my children learn and enquire about the world around them gives me energy for the search too. The search for knowledge, or for something new. A new angle, viewpoint, or sight.

At the moment, my kids are both keen photographers. My son wants to know what every button does on his new camera. It is difficult to actually slow him down, so he learns the basics first.

When you are a child, you want to understand everything. How does it work? Why do we do that? But, as adults, this seems to stop. We become happy to accept the world as it is, and never question. I believe this is the biggest fight for all adults, to stop this descent into lethargy. Keep fighting up that intellectual hill. It is never ending and has no summit, but it is a beautiful journey.

Avid Readers All

April 23, 2017 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Well, it seems my son is going to take after me. After only a few months in school, he is already a dedicated reader. He practices every night, with no complaints. When he gets a new book, he starts reading it as soon as we have left the shop. Even when he doesn’t have a book, the world of words has opened up a world of information. All of a sudden, he can understand signs and posters, and so he is becoming more independent. No need to ask so many questions, now he knows.

I have become a slightly obsessive reader over the last couple of years. Having started to use the Goodreads social network, I raised my reading game and last year read sixty books. So far, this year, I have read over thirty. I suppose there are worse addictions, but I have to make sure I leave time for writing something too!

My daughter has also caught the reading bug. This is a funny one, because she can’t actually read yet. But she sits down with a book, follows the words with her finger and reads aloud. But the words she is saying are coming from her imagination, and are a proper story. It is amazing to listen to, and she can keep this up for quite a while.

So it looks like we are a family of readers. I just hope it continues into the future and both my children grow up and continue to use their imaginations as they do now.

Daily Prompt: Avid

© Neil Hayes and neilsworldofenglish

Little Miss Independent

April 9, 2017 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

That wrinkle of the nose, gorgeous, cute and trouble. My daughter is becoming a real, independent young woman. At 5 years old, she is determined to do things on her own. It is great to see, I never wanted a quiet little princess. But, at the same time, I can see some trouble in the future when she hits those teenage years.

I am sure that having an older brother helps. She can’t and won’t be pushed around, in fact it is normally him I feel sorry for. I think there would have been a few more tears if he wasn’t so kind hearted. Luckily violence doesn’t come as a first resort to either of them.

There are surprisingly few arguments, considering how much time they spend together. They form an amazing team and play with imagination and a cheeky sense of fun. But when there is a disagreement, beware the wrinkle of the nose. Because Little Miss Independent has had enough.

Daily prompt: Tenacious

Daredevils

March 8, 2017 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Watching my kids, tearing around on their bikes. Seemingly with no nerves, little daredevils with one mission, to have fun. Unaware of their father standing nervously by, waiting for disaster to strike. And, of course, occasionally it does. After all, it wouldn’t be childhood without the occasional bump and bruise.

But, as nervous as I sometimes feel, I must strive not to convey those feelings to them. Childhood is not the time to worry, there will be plenty of time for that later.

While I feel nervous watching them speeding around, I also feel incredibly proud and joyous. My kids are amazing and constantly surprise and impress me with their abilities. They are always learning new skills and I must remember to learn from them too. And remind myself that life is about living, not worrying.

Daily Prompt: Nervous

Concrete Jungle? Don’t be deceived.

February 21, 2017 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Grey, faceless block of flats. On the edge of town, as far as the eye can see. Not the most attractive and they certainly have negative connotations for a lot of British people.

In Britain, these types of buildings are normally in poorer, run down areas and as such can also feel unsafe. But in the Czech Republic, this is normally not the case. These blocks, constructed from panels in the ’80s, were erected so that normal, everyday people would have somewhere affordable to live, close to the city.

These are family areas, almost every block has a well-maintained playground, or three, just around the corner. And living here is quiet, neighbours behave with respect towards each other. Of course, the smaller the block the better, any block with forty flats is going to get some noise passing between the walls.

You would also think that with all these people the streets would be noisy, but sometimes I wonder where everyone is. It’s more peaceful than many Czech villages, which are sometimes used as major traffic routes.

So, all in all, I am happy living in my Concrete Jungle. It’s close to town, with excellent shopping, sports and natural opportunities within an easy walk. My kids can play, in safety. And crime? It doesn’t seem to exist, or maybe I’m just lucky?