Taking baby for a walk

I did it every Saturday and the mum was very grateful . I even think she asked my mum if I would do it . The baby was under a year old when I began and was walking by the time I stopped.

I recently read in my Dad's diary that they put me on a bus to school when I was 4 and a half but I didn't get off at the right stop so they (my parents) kept me at home for another term!
I have no memory of this incident but I felt alarmed for that little person who was me.
I do remember my DM telling me never to get into a stranger's car but I'd have been about 7 or 8.

One of the pieces of advice my mother gave me in the 70's was 'Don't you ever let anyone else take your baby out in the pram...if anyone knocks and asks say no and shut the door' I thought this was rather odd but she told me that it used to be common practice for little girls to knock on doors and ask to take the baby out in the pram. She certainly wouldn't have allowed it but apparently harassed mothers with several children were only too pleased.

I did this too. We really enjoyed it and the babies were fine. They were strapped in and we were told not to lift them out. People are much too cautious nowadays. My 15 year old gd is still taken to and collected from school for goodness sake. Most of my gc weren't allowed to play in the street. It's a very strange world. And Buffybee I think we have lost the neighbourliness. We looked out for each other then. And we had the informal social control of neighbours too. If a child misbehaved they knew a neighbour would tell them off and tell their parents. Try doing that now.

As a teacher myself I always supported the school, certainly in front of the children, if my girls got into any scrapes..it did not happen often, but they knew DH &I would not blame the school. Nowadays there are a significant minority of families who defend their children right or wrong, forever challenging school systems etc. This is also done openly in front of children. This can drip feeds into the children so that the establishment/ authority is seen to be always wrong and not to be respected. This can confuse little children whose experience in school is often as a happy and safe place to be. Schools are not prefect I know but how we challenge or raise concerns makes a lot of difference!