Demelza has an interesting and traumatic day at school

Once again the evening meal is enjoyed together and we discuss the events of the day.

Demelza produced a letter from the school, from her lap, ( no one leaves the table during meal times. not to collect art work or newsletters or anything, newsletters are not included in the family time we share over our evening meal, but Demelza convinced both Shaun and I to listen to the explanation).
The surprise on my face prompted her to say it's "ok mum ,just hang on, it's about something really important that happened at school today".

Bullying ,.blah, blah, blah. A child has been bullied for some years at the school, and having modern technology, called his dad when a particularly unsettling bout of bullying was in session.

In he olden days (before the wheel and mobile phones were invented , we would tell our folks after school, and they would say, Ill come and fix them up! you just go to the office and call me if it happens again, and I'll be there, in fact tomorrow I'm commin to the school and I'll sort out the principle!

Well, we live in the now!, and this boy called Dad and older Brother who came immediately and sorted out the bullying student with a few love taps, and a few teachers while they where at it and then the Police arrived and got a good sorting out to!

When the screaming stopped and the school was in a whole school assembly, one particularly silly boy, who thought he might jump on the "terrorism" bandwagon, and gesture to the police officers on stage, an act of violence with a weapon, a long arm or as it had a recoil .

The police officers didn't take the gesturing in fun in any way shape or form, and stepped outside with the lad (potential lawbreaking nuisance) for a little counselling.

It was unsettling for both students and teachers.

We have a right to expect to go to work in a safe secure environment, and not have to endure bullying, and the ugly consequences of some of the behaviours that once where common place and accepted as par for the course "a little bullying makes you grow".

So our evening meal became a bit of a challenge as we sorted through the effect on Demelza of this insecurity issue.

Thankfully the police will patrol the grounds and attempt to maintain some discipline and order.

The world is turning to shit.

And there is no point informing Demelza of "When I was a student", she retorts with "Back in the 80s", when no one had any rhythm and everything was covered in sugar and life was heaps slower and not much was gonna hurt you."
Now everything is harmful, there are no freedoms, and life is fast.

her observations of life now were kind of confirmed when we viewed catalyst.
The program was about The Heart. How pressure, stress, drinking to excess and smoking ciggies is no longer any good for you ( where is the fun of living now?) and I kinda felt my heart was breaking.

No fun any more, and the kids live in a shitty world of fear, at school , at the bus stop, any public space, forget the nuclear energy /war debate, and the doomsday clock, that we as kids concerned ourselves with , that is remote stuff, the kids are just dealing with the everyday trawl of bullies and police in the school, and ineffective policies in the education arena that can allow this travesty to occur in the first place!

I know the girls will be stronger for this experience and better equiped to manage themselves, and I now understand why Ayla and Seb won't return to Canberra.