#Steven who sees his mum as someone who’s perfect and brilliant | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jamiejohnsontalk · 4 years

Text

LGBT Representation in Jamie Johnson as Compared to Other Kids’ Media

Pinned to the top of my blog because I’m quite proud of this post, and I still want newer followers to be able to see it.

From what I know, LGBT representation is relatively new in media. Not just kids’ media, but media in general. I don’t even think I knew what gay meant until I was like 11. And I didn’t know that religions didn’t exactly have the greatest opinion of gay people till my GCSEs. In that sense, I was lucky. I knew I was gay before I knew what homophobia was, so I have always been comfortable with who I am. But others didn’t have life that... Well, simple I suppose. I’ve always known who I am, but other people, well, in the worst case scenario, gay people can become homophobic themselves and grow to hate themselves. This might seem like a sidetracky introduction, but I think it shows the importance of LGBT in media. For someone like me, it can help to start to normalise gay people to my family. Even though they’re still homophobic, at least they’re able to watch programmes with LGBT characters in. I met someone who’s dad wouldn’t watch any shows with LGBT characters in it. And for how rare gay people used to be in media in general, they’re even rarer in kids’ media. Why is it that Disney Channel only had their first gay main character in 2017 when homosexuality was legalised in... 2003 in the US. Wow, I can’t lie, I looked up that statistic expecting it to be way earlier. OK, but it was legalised in 1967 in the UK. So why did I never see any gay characters in my childhood? I’ve known I was gay since I was 9, but I must have first seen a gay character in, OK, it was Doctor Who. Captain Jack was pansexual. So I did have some LGBT representation. But there wasn’t much. And again, not in kids’ media. So, let’s look at some of the kids’ media that changed the landscape for LGBT rep in kids’ media. Sarah Jane Adventures and Wizards vs Aliens We’ll start with what I think is probably the worst types of LGBT representation. First of all: Wizards vs Aliens. Benny came out. But I can’t remember the show ever talking about it again after he came out. Sarah Jane Adventures. Yes, it’s not Russell T Davies’ fault that he never got the chance to let Luke come out in the show, and yes, he got to have Luke come out in the memorial episode for Sarah Jane on YouTube, but even before Liz had... Luke had left the main cast, so his coming out would have still meant less to audience members. Gravity Falls had a coming out at the very end of the show, and I believe so did Adventure Time, so they fit in this category too. Compare that to Dillon from Jamie Johnson. Yes, there’s a reasonable chance we won’t see him again after this season, but if it is, he gets to leave on a high. We get to explore his coming out journey. Steven Universe Steven Universe is great for LGBT representation, and it’s great for normalising LGBT representation. You’ve got a huge variety of LGBT characters, because the Gems are all gay (Except Rose). So you can understand that there are different types of gay people (Love Victor did that too, but I’m not sure how many people would watch it). Steven universe is definitely the gayest kids’ show. High School Musical the Musical the Series fits in this category too. Carlos is out and proud. And we don’t see his coming out, more his love life. Again, great rep. Normalises gay people. Jamie Johnson is nowhere near the level of gay that Steven Universe or High School Musical the Musical the Series is, but I think that it’s less meaningful than other shows I’ll mention and Jamie Johnson. It’s the same reason Victor said “Screw you” to Simon at the beginning of Love Victor. We don’t want to see gay people who have it easy. We want to see gay people who are like us. Who have been through stuff and have come out the other side alive. We want hope, but that doesn’t come from seeing gay people who have it easy. I see people playing football and risking corona and I’m jealous. I want to play football again. I see gay people have it easy: Same. I wish I could have it that easy, and it makes me sad. Steven Universe is a great show, and has great rep, but I think even kids’ media should have something closer to home. Andi Mack and Diary of a Future President I love how they portrayed Cyrus and Bobby. We got to see Cyrus’ story from realising he liked guys to being able to say “I’m gay” to showing his crush he likes him (though homophobes can pretend the bench scene was just a friendship scene). Cyrus’ arc was great, and the bench scene was perfect and the only problem with it was that it deserved a fourth season so we could see Cyrus and TJ in a relationship. Diary of a Future President though. I was heartbroken when Bobby didn’t come out to Liam. But then I found out there was a season 2 and I was OK, because it’s hard to come out. It’s as if all the shows make it so easy to come out to the first person, but it’s not. The first real life person I came out to, I came out at 22. And they had come out to me first. And I had to write it down on my phone. I couldn’t say it out loud. So yeah, seeing Diary of a Future President take it slow is amazing, and I love it, and it’s also what they did with Dillon. Some people think that they only really intended for Dillon to be gay from season 4. But, I think that they’ve known since the beginning. I plan to do a character analysis on Dillon after my rewatch, but I think I found something that shows they must have known since at least season 2. (I expect the analysis will be a lot shorter than this. Sorry for the crazy length. And if it’s a crap read. I don’t essay well). But if they knew from the beginning, that was a brilliant move on their part. The only thing that makes me unsure is how Dillon took 3 years to realise he might be gay, but it’s possible that he denied it to himself until he realised Elliot was gay. Because there’s no way he wasn’t thinking he was gay in season 4 episode 5. He didn’t think he was asexual, his reaction to Ruby’s foster mums suggested that he was interested because they were gay. But regardless, I love that they took it slow. Not everyone can come out as easily as others, and having someone like Bobby, or like Dillon, is so much more meaningful than Cyrus, even though Cyrus is an amazing character. Bobby and Dillon are more relatable because they’re finding it tough to come out. The Dumping Ground I kept trying to decide whether I thought the dumping ground or Andi Mack/Diary of a Future President had better LGBT representation. In the end, I decided that I preferred the Dumping Ground’s representation. Yes, in Andi Mack and Diary of a Future President, we get to see the coming out journey of Bobby and Cyrus, but even though Andi Mack touched on homophobia, a lot of people didn’t even realise Kira was blackmailing TJ, making him afraid of how people would react if they found out he was gay. A number of people just thought TJ was being an idiot. But the Dumping Ground had a gay couple wanting to foster Gus. And IIRC, Johnny thought it was wrong because they were gay. Something like that would foster (see what I did there?) potential discussion between parents and children about gay adoption. Some kids watching the show might have been gay and if they watched it with their parents, they could talk about it with them. Gage their reaction. Maybe even come out to them. The Dumping Ground’s episode was great. And then May-Li came out. And we never got to see her full journey, But we did get to see her journey to being accepted by her grandmother I think. And that’s something. And Now On To Jamie Johnson Just like the Dumping Ground, Jamie Johnson has been able to tackle serious issues. I mean, season 1 dealt with Jamie’s cheating father. You’ve got Zoe being a carer, Dillon getting diabetes. But in terms of LGBT representation, it’s season 4 and season 5. Season 4 episode 5 was incredible. I remember telling all my friends about it, and how amazing it was that CBBC were doing this. To recap: Ruby said her heroes were her foster parents, causing Dillon to ask Ruby about it. She thought he was being an idiot, even though in actual fact, he was excited that someone else was gay and trying not to show it. Dillon told his dad that Ruby had foster mums while he was telling him how Ruby’s biological parents weren’t in her life anymore. Liam, Dillon’s brother, used it to rile up Ruby’s sister Alba until she attacked him. She probably would have gotten expelled from the club, but Sienna filmed the incident so everyone found out what really happened, and it was Liam who got expelled. I think Alba only got excluded. What I find really awesome about the storyline though is not just that they had it. It was that the consequences of Liam’s actions set the course for the rest of the season, aka Dodgy Duncan. Liam’s actions caused the club’s image to go down the drain, and sponsors to leave, and that’s what made Duncan turn to the dark side. And it’s a subtle way to just say “Homophobia is bad”. Because Liam’s homophobia caused all the problems in the rest of the season. The First Time Dillon Let Himself “be Gay” Dillon took a long time to come out. And, like me, I think for a long time, nobody really suspected he was gay, in real life or in the audience. He never really showed it. I’m pretty sure when I was a kid, I would act super offended and upset if someone jokingly called me gay. So, yeah, it’s a slow burn. And we didn’t get any hints that he was gay, but that happens. Gay people are good at hiding, I think that’s why gay kids are often portrayed as loving theater. They already have to act their whole lives. It’s not easy to be in the closet. But I think that once Dillon was able to leave his father’s shadow, he was able to be more comfortable with himself, leading to him coming out to Elliot in episode 7. I think he had crushes before, specifically Michelle from season 2, but Elliot was the first time he felt like he could be himself. So here we have two massive points from other shows, but they haven’t been done together. The discussion of homophobia in the Dumping Ground, and the Slow Burn from Diary of a Future President. Social Media Presence Andi Mack made a huge deal about Cyrus being gay, like a week before the episode where he came out aired. HSMTMTS had Carlos be a gay stereotype from the trailer, and OK, Steven Universe was always gay. But Jamie Johnson, and the Dumping Ground didn’t make a big deal about it beforehand. They didn’t scream to the world “Look at us! We’re woke!” They showed it. They let people see for themselves, they let people debate for two weeks on Dillon’s sexuality, and they didn’t tell everyone that this was the episode Dillon would come out (though they made sure that everyone knew they should watch this episode). They just let people see for themselves. And after the episode aired, they made their move. They had the Jamie Johnson logo in rainbow colours to celebrate pride, they had a guide on how to react if someone comes out to you, and they had a history of pride, and I expect they’ll do even more on their social media after this week’s episode. @tkstrand reckons the Delliot post is Jamie Johnson’s most liked instagram post. I don’t know whether the other shows did this, but it’s a great gesture regardless. Oh, and there’s the fact that they’re doing a Bafta zoom conference on how they tackle issues. Choosing the Right Character and Breaking Ground for CBBC A lot of people on Instagram said that they thought it was Boggy who should be gay, and while I think either storyline would be great, I think that the writers made the right decision. 1) Boggy is an amazing person. He’s not afraid to be himself. I think, if Boggy was gay, then he wouldn’t have as much trouble coming out as Dillon is having. Of course, Boggy is going through stuff right now, but I still think he would have been a lot braver than Dillon and so we wouldn’t get the storyline we’re getting now delving into homophobia 2) If Dillon does have a minor or major role in season 6, we might get to explore homophobia in professional football, which would be super exciting 3) While Boggy is an amazing character, I’d reckon kids tend to gravitate to the coolest character as their favourite. And while Boggy radiates cool. (Seriously, check out the two posts I made on how sarcastic he is. And just look at his hat at the beginning of episode 1!

But Dillon is the more traditionally cool character, so he’s more likely to be a fan favourite (that and the fact that he’s the best developed character in Jamie Johnson). So for those who aren’t necessarily homophobic, but don’t really understand homosexuality, Dillon is the perfect choice to have written as gay. Because after next week, the people who don’t believe Dillon is gay might leave the episode with a new understanding of LGBT people. It’s been done with TJ, who’s also a cool character, but people who want to ignore the gay subtext can because it was never said out loud in the show. And I reckon Dillon is a groundbreaking character for CBBC. Benny left soon after he came out, Luke left before he came out, May-Li is part of an ensemble cast, so in terms of a small number of main characters (the core 4 in JJ being Dillon, Jamie, Zoe and Boggy), so I think Dillon is the first gay main character (not ensemble character) on CBBC who has gotten a major gay storyline. Could be wrong, let me know if I am! Groundbreaking in General From what it looks like, the next episode is gonna focus completely on Dillon’s coming out storyline. Forget kids’ media, I don’t think I’ve seen an adults’ show that has an entire episode solely dedicated to an LGBT storyline. (Even Reunited from Steven Universe wasn’t completely focused on Garnet). Love Victor was jam packed with side stories and I think even Real O’Neals always had side stories to it. If another show has done this, I’d love to hear, but if Jamie Johnson really has the whole episode dedicated solely to Dillon, I think it’s huge. I only hope it doesn’t mean that the storyline will be forgotten about in the last 4 episodes, but since the head writer of Jamie Johnson is LGBT, I have no doubt they’ll do it justice. Does Jamie Johnson Have the Best LGBT Representation in Kids’ Media? No, I don’t think it does. Andi Mack has 2 seasons where we follow Cyrus on his coming out journey and Steven Universe has a lot more LGBT people, including a non-binary character. But in the aspects Jamie Johnson does well, it excels at. The homophobia storyline(s), and Jamie Johnson’s instagram presence. And having the best developed and best defined character be the one to show kids how to treat gay people. Thursday could be a historic moment for Kids’ television if they do this right, and I think they will. So I hope that everyone enjoys the episode! No, I swear this wasn’t a long promo for the next episode. No, I am not sponsored. Yes, this post was extremely long, I’m really sorry about that. I hope it’s worth the read. If not, don’t worry, this will almost definitely be my longest post. No, I don’t know how to have a “continue reading” button. Does anyone happen to know how? Thanks! Edit: Apparently 4 O Clock club had a gay main character first, so I got that wrong, but I still hold that Jamie Johnson is groundbreaking.

#jamie johnson #delliot #lgbt representation #analysis #long post #Seriously this is a super long post

43 notes · View notes

rumata-est · 5 years

Text

Impossible Girl Begins

Lack of a true character, Mary Sue, the worst companion, invention for the plot etc etc etc... This is a common description of Clara Oswald. But we already have the greatest Mary Sue of all the time and space, though for some reason we call them the Doctor. Why don’t we deserve two heroes?

The problem is Eleven openly delivers these very words: “We're running together, and she's perfect. Perfect in every way for me. Except she can't remember that we ever met. Clara. My Clara. Always brave, always funny, always exactly what I need. [..] I know how she came to be in my life, and I know what she will always mean.”

Well, she is special. And the audience doesn’t like it when the Doctor has someone special cause he has to be lonely and distant for nobody could ever match his high standards. But what if somebody really could? Let’s give Clara credit.

Clara Oswald, the original you might say. When we first meet her, the real one, she has a lot of sparkling energy, she is bold and confident, she isn’t complaining about her life as a nanny and not seeking escape. She desperately needs the Doctor to see she is in control despite the fact he owns a time machine. She doesn’t know whether he comes back or not but she still tells him “ask me tomorrow”. She can’t stand the Doctor pity her.

The Doctor doesn’t need to tell her they don’t go away for she already deals with two kids who lost their mum cause she has... guess what? A duty of care. Nevertheless, sometimes she doesn’t mind to put their lives at risk, probably, cause her beloved Marcus Aurelius wrote things like “Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is one of those things which nature wills” or like “Look round at the courses of the stars, as if thou were going along with them; and constantly consider the changes of the elements into one another; for such thoughts purge away the filth of the terrene life”.

Steven Moffat also notices Clara doesn’t know she’s inside the show about the Doctor, on the contrary, she assumes she is the main character. That sounds pretty much Doctor-y, and she really mirrors Eleven. Who is Eleven?

According to River he is “an ageless god who insists on the face of a twelve year old”. The Doctor considers it’s his last regeneration so he choose to be childish, funny, weird, unpredictable, charming and very tip-toeing round people he cares about, despite his own quite vague concept of putting at risk. So, Clara and Eleven fit together cause they’re alike.

So, what do we have? Clara Oswald knows what she wants, she is clever, fast, brave, kind and confident which is good. She teases the Doctor and openly says unholy things like “the trick is don’t fall in love, sometimes I do this trick twice a day” out loud. Sounds like an impossible Mary Sue? Ok, there are some flaws as well: sometimes she is too reckless, irresponsible and bossy. She analyzes what people feel well enough to use it instead of being lead by it. Basically, the whole universe is like a big toy for her. Maybe, that’s why she is really capable to accept how the world works (at least, for humans).

The Doctor is not her life, he is her Wednesday hobby, but even though she understands his importance for the universe. Not for herself. She doesn’t seem to want to possess him or anything else. Why? Cause she’s trying to be happy with what she gets already. For greedy humans it means an incredibly expanded brain, doesn’t it? (Stoic philosophy detected)

So, one day she decides she was born to safe the Doctor cause it’s a really good thing to do. Why not? It’s a question of her own pride and self respect. She doesn’t expect him to be grateful. She is ready to die like Marcus Aurelius’s good man, and of course this experience changes her. She becomes more attentive and reserved cause she felt the Doctor’s hidden pain and doubts. This is the moment when she realises she has to be a teacher (and the Teacher sometimes).

She doesn’t expect him to be greatful after helping him to save Gallifrey either. Clara is so Doctor-y cause when she does something important, she doesn’t expect people to praise her. She just knows she’s brilliant. Maybe that’s why all three Doctors get along with her. In addition, she never fails to understand whether take things (including him) seriously or not, and when to step back. And every time she learns to seek a solution the way he does cause sometimes he forgets how to apply his own methods to himself.

In "The Time of the Doctor" she has the worst possible Christmas beyond limits. Naked dinner, naked trip to the Church, Trenzalore, war, the stubborness of her dearest friend who is willing to keep her safe against her own free will, time vortex, Trenzalore again, war, dinner, Trenzalore again 900 years later... the Doctor leaves her and lies to her twice for her own safety, but she already knows that nobody’s ever safe. She wantes to stay by his side in this dark hour despite the fact this whole situation probably drives her crazy. But that's not enough.

The Doctor regenerates into someone else who immediately says rubbish like "oh, you remember, thingy, might be Clara might not be, potato height, actually, I'm busy, sort everything out somehow". And it's still the same day. The Christmas Day. So, she is mad at him, and then he leaves her the third time cause... she’s brilliant on adrenaline? And the forth time as well. Twelve assumes she trusts him, plus he actually has enough on his plate to play nice that’s why all of a sudden he starts telling the deeply buried truth: he is happy to play her game, he doesn’t want her to change, he considers her egomaniac and needy, and he’s very well aware she’s a control freak.

She isn't used to such kind of... respect from the Doctor. But she stands Vastra’s accusations, solves the riddle, and manages to do strategy. She's not a control freak for nothing, she really can handle the situation cause it's always about people.

And in the end of the day the Doctor confronts her with "I'm not your boyfriend, but relax it's not your mistake". What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm not your boyfriend, let no flirting stage begin? Or from now on I will push you to extrems just cause you're brilliant on adrenalin? Or I will not listen to you anymore? Or don’t you dare to control me? After all this mess it would be great to hear something like "I've changed and I've got some pretty tough time on Trenzalore but I'm still on your side, don't worry" from someone who has just claimed he “has lived for over 2000 years”. Instead the Doctor decides to count on his own previous sentimental phone call and dish out this "boyfriend" thing. Of course, she doesn't know him anymore, she's not a saint in the name of sanity.

Still she stays with him because of this “he needs you” wish just to be left in Glasgow for three weeks. Аnd then a new era begins.

But it’s a story for another day.

Part two

#doctor who #jenna coleman #clara oswald #11th doctor #12th doctor #matt smith #peter capaldi #moffat era #moffat is a genius #dw meta #doctor and clara #whouffaldi #whouffle #you have no idea how long it takes me to write this #impossible girl

81 notes · View notes

monster-mum · 6 years

Text

It’s okay to not be okay

This week I have had a few conversations with some of my Mummy friends, we touched upon many different subjects but there was one common theme: is it okay, to not be okay? A friend of mine is a yoga teacher and is also an amazing Mummy to two gorgeous, spirited children. About a week ago she wrote an inspirational post about how it is okay to not be okay and how we need to check in with ourselves once in a while. You may think this isn’t that important, but man is it, and not just for those of us that are parents. I have friends that don’t have children and they too could benefit from just taking time to check in and say “hey, am I okay?” As mental health issues are ever increasing, not just among adults but also in children and teenagers, one thing that’s for sure is that we have become a society of people who need to take time for ourselves, to know that it is most definitely okay to be a little selfish from time to time and do something for ourselves. It is good for the soul. Life is more than work, it is more than being Mummy and Daddy, it is more than stress and worry.

There have been many times when I have been overwhelmed with the monsters and felt like my brain was going to explode, and not because someone was trying to hone their mind powers. Children are wonderful, brilliant people but sometimes they are just a-holes. Yep I said it, it’s out there. I adore my three monsters and think the absolute world of them but they do not go out of their way to make life easy at times. BM (Before Monsters) I was one of those women who judged other women who were stay-at-home Mums. I wondered what the hell they got up to all day; lunching with other Mums, going to the spa, more lunches, letting their kids scream in restaurants and supermarkets for fun and maybe a quick stop at a park where they’d just sit down on a bench while their child ran riot. I can remember one time I was in Asda and there was this Mum screaming at her kids pleading with them to behave. I remember swearing to myself I would never be like that woman. Since becoming a Mum, I have realised that I was a pretentious arse when I was younger and that supermarkets are a major trigger for bad behaviour in many kids. I have screamed, shouted, pleaded, begged, threatened and bargained with my monsters in supermarkets, the cinema, restaurants, anywhere and everywhere, for their compliance and good behaviour. It is a guessing game with children and they love to move the goalposts so the answer is never the same as the time before.

Years ago, Chris and I read a blog written by a man who described the difference in his day at work to what his wife’s day was like at home with their little ones. It was very funny and had us cracking up in places. One of the things he spoke about was when heading home always assume that ‘orc war’ is occurring right behind your front door and your partner needs you home right away. Since we read his blog we have used this Lord of the Rings battle reference as our emergency code. If one of us messages ‘orc war’, the other knows they need to get their butt home asap! There have only been about four or five occasions where the red button was pushed, but it is effective.

Taking time for yourself isn’t always straightforward when there are kids running riot in your home and I totally get that. You can set everything up and get your timings perfect and it can all still go wrong.

Set scene: I have had a stressful day with my little monsters. Chris has run me a bath, we have put the biggens to bed and our tiniest monster is fed and settled. As soon as my bum makes contact with the bottom of the bath I hear a floorboard creek. I close my eyes and use one of my favourite parenting techniques entitled ‘If I can’t hear it I don’t have to deal with it.’ This gets used more times than I should probably admit too, especially when there is a whole load of banging and screaming involved.

The door creeks open and a head pops round, I continue pretending I don’t notice, hoping he’ll see I am trying to relax and head to bed.

Steven: “Mummy.”

UrrghhhAHHHHHH!

Me: “Yes Steven.”

Steven: “I need to go to the toilet.”

Oh, okay wee man, I’ll just hop out of the bath and stand dripping and cold in the hallway just to save you the massive hassle of using another of our THREE TOILETS!!

Right calm it down Nicola, maybe he’s not noticed you are in the bath.

Me: Giving him the benefit of the doubt “I’m in the bath Steven.”

Steven: Looks at me as though I am a complete moron for stating something so blindingly obvious “Yeh, I know but I need the toilet.”

Just wanting him to go to bed as soon as possible I say “fine. Hurry up.”

He walks over to the toilet.

Steven: “Don’t look!”

What is it with kids thinking us parents want nothing more than to watch them go to the toilet.

Me: I close my eyes, “hurry up!”

As soon as he’s finished he turns to leave and then realises that I am trapped in the bath and can’t escape so right now is obviously a great time for a heart to heart.

Steven: “Mummy, there’s something that’s bothering me and I really need to talk to you about it.”

I think I’ve told you about Steven’s brilliant ability to trap you in a conversation. You think you’re in control and before you know it it’s been three days and forty-seven minutes and you’re still talking about that one-time Steven put his shoes on the wrong feet. He worked out a long time ago that phrasing certain things in a certain way results in a delay in doing whatever it is he doesn’t want to do.

Me: “What is it Steven?”

Steven: “Well, Daddy threw out all of the boxes that I was planning to build with and now I have none.”

What I should probably explain here is that Steven likes to hoard cardboard boxes, plastic bottles and whatever else he feels would be of great use in building a machine of his own design. It is something we try to nurture, well, to a certain degree. There have been times we have gone into his room and it resembles a dump site. He also likes to pick random stuff up when we’re out, his favourite are bottle lids, you know the ones you get on bottles of ale. One time when I picked him up from school his teacher called me into the classroom (just a heads up, if you get called in by a teacher it is very unlikely to be a conversation about what a brilliant angel your child is.) His teacher opens her hand and shows me a load of bottle lids with various alcoholic logos printed along the tops. She looked at me and said “Steven brought these in. I thought you’d like to know.” I’m stood there looking at her looking at me thinking to myself that this woman thinks I’m an alcoholic or something. I rarely have a drink and even when I do it’s one and it lasts me forever. I had to let this woman know that I wasn’t an alcoholic so I say “I don’t have a drink problem. I rarely have a drink.” She glances at the bottle lids again, looks slightly awkward, smiles and says “Oh, okay. That’s good.” I glare at Steven. Great! As if things weren’t hectic enough I now have to convince everyone that I am not a raging alcoholic! Thanks son.

Anyway, Steven is a hoarder.

I am desperate for my relaxation time to begin so I say…

Me: “Steven, this really sounds like something you need to talk to Daddy about.” Ha! Take that Chris!

Before Steven can think of anything else to say I quickly tell him to go to bed. He says goodnight and heads to his room.

Yes! Well done Nicola! You are acing this parenting malarkey! I take a deep breath and sink back down into my bath when the door creeks open again and a tiny, blonde, curly headed monster peeks around the opening with a cheeky smirk on her face.

UrrghhhAHHHHHH!

I can hear the sound of Chris playing his PS4 game downstairs and sounding like he’s having a pretty nice relaxing time. Cursing my inability to set his hair on fire with my mind I say…

Me: “Yes Lyla Rose?”

Lyla: Takes this as an invitation to come fully into the bathroom. “Muuuummy, I need a toilet.”

OF COURSE YOU BLOODY DO!

Me: Wishing that I had locked the door I say “Go on then Lyla.”

Lyla: “Don’t look at me!”

Seriously child! I don’t want to watch anyone, literally anyone, go to the toilet, especially when I am in the bath. I glare at her and she smiles, I close my eyes.

Lyla: “Mummy are you asleep?”

Me: “No Lyla.”

Lyla: “Why are your eyes closed?”

Me: What! Pick your battles Nicola, pick your battles. “I am trying to relax. Hurry up.”

Lyla: “Okay Mummy.”

She finishes her business, flushes and washes her hands more intricately than she ever has and just as she is about to leave…

Lyla: “Mummy, I’m sad.”

Oh for the love of God.

Me: “Why are you sad Lyla?”

Lyla: smiling “A cos when I was a baby my Mummy and Daddy didn’t want me and I was kidnapped.”

Me: “Lyla, me and Daddy are your real Mummy and Daddy. You don’t need to be sad.”

Lyla: smiles “Okay Mummy. I love you.”

Me: “I love you too. Now, off to bed.”

She runs off to her room. Finally, some me time. I pick up my book and relax into my bath with a big sigh then…

Lachlan: “Waaaaaaaaaaaa! Oooooooowaaaaaaaahhh!”

Chris: “Nic, Lachlan is awake, I think he’s ready for a feed.”

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, pinch my nose and dunk myself under the water and try to imagine I am swimming in a clear blue sea by a white sandy beach in the Caribbean.

2 notes · View notes