Mum: Did you make the cakes today or just decorate them?
Boy: We just decorated them.
Mum: How did you decorate yours?
Boy: We had to do something sporty on them and mine was awesome!
Mum: What was it?
Boy: It was me – sweating! Because I was running so much. And I really did that today – I ran a lot.
Actually it wasn’t me sweating, it was me with a swoosh behind me – you know when you’re running SO fast that the air swooshes? It tasted sooooo yummy.
Son: I’m going to be very sad at the end of sports camp this time.
Mum: Why?
Son: Because there’s no wristbands, medals or trophy now – they don’t do that anymore.
Mum: Why don’t they do that anymore?
Son: Because the Coach has got a boss now and he says, “Don’t give out wristbands, medals or trophies at the end because it wastes too much time!”
Mum: Oh dear. And do you think they should carry on giving them out?
Son: Yes, because it’s a good thing for children.
Mum: Why is it a good thing?
Son: Because there are people who haven’t got them yet – like James – it’s not fair for him, he hasn’t got anything – no wristband, no medal, no trophy, nothing. They don’t do any of it now, and he just REALLY wants a wristband, a medal or a trophy! What I really want from there is a wristband.
Mum: Do you try harder if there’s wristbands, medals and trophies at the end?
Son: Yes, we have to work REALLY hard if we want to get one. In the olden days when I didn’t get anything I worked SO hard and I didn’t get anything so I just gave up – I just worked normally. Until eventually I found out that I still wouldn’t get anything, so I gave up from working normally. Then one day I decided to try again and that’s when I got a medal. And then the next time I tried even more and that’s when I got the trophy.
Mum: And how did you feel when they said they weren’t going to give them out any more?
Son: It shocked me so much that I felt angry to hear the news that they didn’t give out wristbands, medals or trophies anymore and to this day, I am still a little upset. I gave up being angry though, because the more you’re angry the less things you’ll get – do you know that?
Mum: That’s true. So, do you work hard when you go to sports camp now?
Son: Now it doesn’t matter if you work hard, because they don’t give out trophies or medals anymore.
Mum: But DO you?
Son: A little bit.
Half-term trophy! Nov 2012
D: I won the trophy at Sports Camp!! I dreamed about winning the trophy every night! It’s for doing my best and helping other people… I didn’t just help the just small children, but the big ones as well and EVEN the oldest one there – she was WAY more than ten!
D: You could go to the open evening at school and I could stay at home in bed.
Me: I can’t leave you at home on your own, it’s not allowed. They would come and take me away if I left a child alone at home.
D: Who would?
Me: Social Services and the police.
D: Who is Social Services?
Me: They’re people who make sure that children are OK.
D: Well THEY could look after me.
Me: They can’t – they have lots of other children to look after too. They would have to take you away to their home and I don’t want that.
D: So what happens if you’re being looked after by your dad, and your mum’s at a meeting and not back until tomorrow, and then your dad leaves and goes home while you’re having your tea? Where would you sleep then? At the robber’s house?
Me: That wouldn’t be good. Yes, if Social Services knew you were at home on your own they would take you to sleep at their house.
D: …. And if there’s lots of people sleeping at their house – like 100 people – then they would all be squashed wouldn’t they? And that’s not good.
iwantmarbles 