A SERIOUS DEBATE ON THE BOGEYMEN

When I was little, some older boys told me I shouldn't go into the woods because that's where the Yorkshire Ripper lived in a little campsite. Now, I knew who the Yorkshire Ripper was (aged 7) cos he was all over the news - I didn't really comprehend 'what he was' because words were used that I didn't have in my back catalogue of vocab - needless to say I was aware that he was bad. Job done though as I certainly didn't go into the woods (whatever the older boys were doing in there remained a secret). And because I was a child, I didn't for once consider that the boundary between Ripper Woods and pavement that ran along the woods would ever be transgressed by said Northern Ripper - also I lived in Chislehurst but didn't really grasp that.

So does the use of contemporary bogeymen have a place in parenting? My Mum once scared the living crap out of me by telling me the tapping on the window outside was Lord Lucan, although I am not sure what motivated this or what lesson I was learning but I guess I never did it again...

Should we as parents who have a brood of slightly surly youngsters who insist on doing naughty things (not my two you understand, they are angels) be exposed to the threat that maybe Raoul Moat is hiding out in that slightly iffy place where you know coat shufflers frequent? Or is this pandering to the hysteria that 'la media' set up to scare adults?

Anyway - I have no answer - I think my kids are too young for this kind of psychological fencing, they are still scared of some Disney characters (esp. Walt after I explained his political ideology) so maybe this is to real for them. 

By the way, my Mum still uses the Lord Lucan thing to great effect with me - am starting to wonder if she knows something the police don't.....

RECORD BREAKER

A short little thing about a great life affirming moment.  Today at work we attempted the World's Largest Open Air Tea Dance. And we did it. Brilliant. And what's more is that we were able to ask complete strangers just to have a go for 10 minutes, they didn't have to be able to dance just willing to try. Pretty much everybody I asked did have a go, and this was central London, the stalking ground of the insular miserable entity called Londoner. I was once one of these people, most of my life has been spent slowly retreating from my neighbours until I moved out and became bridge and tunnel.

Anyway, I am now fully recharged with the spirit of London and the capacity for joyousness and general friendliness of all I met today. In many ways this is more important that gettting the World Record.

Lesson learnt. Talk to more strangers.