I thought.

And then I thought some more.

And then I thought again.

Every answer I came up with sounded incomplete and contrite. “Childhood means splashing in puddles”. Nope, not quite right. “Childhood means wallowing in unconditional love”. Well, sometimes – but it’s not everything about the formative years. “Childhood means….”

I mused on the subject during our week away and I drew a blank.

Until tonight, when I was scrolling through my phone for inspiration. For me, childhood isn’t about one thing. It’s about a whole set of things.

It’s about cold treats on a hot day.

It’s about searching for shells on a sandy beach.

It’s about breaking all the fashion rules. And not giving a hoot.

It’s about wearing Sir Elton John sunglasses. And, again, not giving a hoot.

It’s about walking hand in hand with your hero.

It’s about climbing frames and peekaboo.

It’s about rummaging through your mum’s jewellery box and stowing away the shiny things, like a magpie.

And once the day is over, it’s about falling into a deep and untroubled sleep, ready to do it all again in the morning.

***

This post was written as part of a blog hop organised by Merry over at Patch of Puddles, to raise awareness of the plight children are facing in West Africa.

Hunger and poverty mean they’re experiencing a very different childhood, going through things most adults wouldn’t be able to deal with – let alone kids.

Just £1 could make a difference. The charity World Vision has until 30th August to make the most of a matched funding scheme, which sees the government double every single £1 that is donated.

That money could put a glint of hope into the future for many of the children who’ve lost their childhood in West Africa.

And then maybe they’ll get to sleep the sleep of busy, playful children. The sleep of childhood.

***

If you’d like to help raise awareness, feel free to join the blog hop. Simply choose a picture you feel best represents childhood (as you can see, I cheated with more than one) and write about it.

Then include the link:

https://www.worldvision.org.uk/giving-forms/single-gifts/*/giftId/62/

And tag two more people to join in.

I’m tagging -

Hello It’s Gemma

Honest Mum

Then tweet about it, share it on Pinterest, G+, Facebook and any other social networks you use, using the hashtag #LostChildhood.

All entries will be pinned to the WorldVision Pinterest Board and the best entries will feature on their blog too.

The post Childhood appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

This time last year I was starting to think about weaning. I read a few books and about a million articles online and decided, in a rather New Age way, to try out Baby-led Weaning.

This isn’t a post about Baby-led Weaning.

No, what I would like to talk about is all those mothers who don’t have the luxury of obsessing over whether their baby will be puree fed or go straight to solids. Those mums who can’t worry if  it’s too soon to introduce a bread stick or whether all pear should be peeled, because they’re more worried about when they will next be able to feed their child, let alone what that food will actually be.

I have laughed about how messy Frog’s journey with food has been. I’ve celebrated her ability to eat (and throw) everything. I’ve sat proudly while she’s cleared her plate at a restuarant and I’ve worried fruitlessly about when she’ll get any good at using a knife and fork.

But all that’s inconsequential really. She’s always had food. She’s never gone hungry. She doesn’t even know what hungry feels like.

But the same can’t be said for 400,000 children around the world who face major food shortages. Recent price hikes mean the crisis is particularly bad in East Africa, where 750,00 people face death by hunger.

Save The Children are campaigning to end this. They want the UK government to sign up to the Charter to End Extreme Hunger. This Charter calls on governments to take life-savng measures to protect children around the world. So far over 6,000 people have signed it.

Save The Children are now asking people to take the campaign up a level, with their #66Cities project. They want people to champion their cities, write to their MPs, encourage other people to sign the petition.

I know I can’t do much on my little blog. But you can.

So I have this idea:

• Share a picture of your child covered in food eating beautifully on your blog. Then ask your readers to sign the petition asking for David Cameron to support the Charter to End Extreme Hunger.
• Tweet about it, using the #66Cities hashtag.
• If you want to, come back and link your post here. I will tweet it too and shout about it a bit (I have a rather loud voice).

I can’t make a difference on my own, but together we can. Remember, no child is born to die.

Link your post here:

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The post A question of food appeared first on Mother's Always Right.