Tag Archives: Alternative parent

Maybe We Can Park It Over There….

You’re in town for the day with your partner, husband, friends…. and baba in their buggy. After a while either me or my husband will say “Wanna go for something to eat and we can feed baby” – so we go and check out somewhere that looks nice.
It seems more often than not one of us disappointingly says to the another “Oh, I don’t think we will fit in there”. It looks like everywhere has become smaller, crammed with more tables placed super close together and leaving no room for patrons with buggies.
When we go to town for the day, there is about three places we can actually go and sit with our buggy… pre-baba, we had a favorite lunch or breakfast spot which we can now no longer fit or we will block up the entire walk way for staff and customers.
There are places like O’Briens and the likes which have the floor space, but babies are expensive enough without having to pay for an overpriced sandwich because you cannot physically fit in anywhere else. I have been in shops, cafes etc where I have not even been able to use the bathroom because I would have to leave my baby in the buggy outside (obviosuly something I would not do). I have been in big stores and shopping centres which only have ONE baby changing room!
So why are  establishments so unbuggy friendly? Is it better to have two empty tables, then to get rid of one for a buggy to fit and have one full table? Surely in this economic climate, places should be making it possible for people to actually come in and spend their money – not force them to look elsewhere?
Accommodating a buggy should just be a given. If more places understood the importance of being a ‘buggy friendly establishment’, they would definitely benefit from any parents who know they can comfortably eat there with their family.
No Strollers

Religion

Should raising a child without a religion be cause for concern?

 

For me the answer is a simple no. But for many it seems we cannot let go of our church-going roots in 2013 Ireland. When there are now so many diverse nationalities, why do we feel so obliged to keep to a belief system that has wronged so many children of this country’s past? Choosing to raise your child without religion can cause a stir a from a person who has not been inside a church in years, to cast a stone of deep concern. It’s baffling to me.

I am not against anyone’s beliefs, but I am against the catholic church in Ireland having any influence on our children’s education system. They, in my opinion, do not contribute to a child’s ever growing mind. There are children in this country who, because they have not been christened, will find it hard to get into a school. A fact.

My husband and I have chosen not to christen our son, Leon, because even though I was born a catholic, that is where it stops for me. So what does that mean for the way my son will live his life? Well, it won’t mean anything at all! He will not lose out. He will not be excluded from anything, he will not be judged, he will not go to hell.

This is why I am fully behind Ireland’s ‘Educate Together’ schools. These schools are a non-judgemental breath of fresh air in 2013 Ireland and I am so excited to be aiming to send my son there when he is of age. I would never judge any of his future friends, or friend’s parents for having a religion. So all I want in return is for nobody to judge him, because he does not have one at all.