DAD.info
Free online course for separated parents
Forum - Ask questions. Get answers.
Free online course for separated parents

Festivals

We were in the minibus from the car park of the Cambridge Folk Festival to the main site. My six year old son Arun was sitting next to me and in front of me sat my wife Clare with our four year old daughter Meri.

There was much excitement from the little ones because we were with their brilliant Uncle Steve and his even more brilliant (as far as my daughter is concerned) girlfriend Gabi. There was a little less excitement on my part because as some of you may already know; my dislike of folk music is legendary.

“Any kind of music that allows accordion solos has got to be wrong,” I muttered under my breath.

This was our third festival of the year. My son Arun loves music and especially proper music that involves guitars not lutes, lyres and harps. Ever since he was tiny, music has reached him, cutting through his cerebral palsy, autism and learning difficulties. We are desperate as parents to ensure that he has access to as many mainstream experiences as possible and want to encourage and develop his love of music as much as we can. Even if that means attending the Cambridge Folk Festival.

It’s at festivals this year that we’ve learnt that Arun loves paella, that he likes a Britpop bop (to the Feeling) and is quite transfixed by the guitar playing of Richard Thompson. Meri loves the music and the atmosphere too, soaking in the sunshine and the opportunity to wear her hippy festival dresses and hairpieces. She will quite happily dance an hour away with her old man even if he is parading some of his finest Saturday night fever dad dance steps to Suzanne Vega.

In-between the music and food we took the kids off to a lovely paddling pool on the fringes of the festival where they splashed around in the warm sunshine for half an hour before re-joining the party. By the time it got to 7.30 eyelids were starting to droop and we decided it was time to head home after a busy day.

My daughter fell asleep within minutes of us getting back to the car, her contented little snores testament to the fact she’d had a good time.

I turned to Arun who was still wide awake. “Arun, did you enjoy the festival today?”

“Yeah,” he nodded happily.

“What did you like the best?” I asked.

“I liked the paddling pool and I liked the minibus,” he answered earnestly.

“Oh,” I said visibly deflating in the driver’s seat. “Well, maybe next year we’ll take a bus to the swimming pool and I won’t have to endure hours of interminable fiddling.” 

 

 

 

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the blogger and do not necessarily represent the views of Dad.info.

 

Related entries

Too old for this

Too old for this

It was late on a Thursday evening and Rodger and I were walking up Upper Street in Islington, looking for a Thai restaurant. We were a little worse for wear   “You OK?” he asked looking at my awkward gait. “Yeah,” I said with that little inflection that indicated...

Too old for this

The big day

I could hear the rustling from the room next-door and glanced at my watch: 6:30 am. I groaned to myself but there was a certain inevitability about it   The kids bounded into our room moments later. “Is Uncle Steve here? Is he here?” They asked excitedly. “Yes,...

Too old for this

The big questions

I was walking home from school with my five year old daughter. As we approached our front door she looked up at me   “Daddy?” she asked in that tone of voice that all dads will recognise as a precursor to something that they’ve been pondering. “Yes?” I answered...

Latest entries

Fun and easy Easter activities for kids

Fun and easy Easter activities for kids

It's not always easy to think of ways to keep kids entertained during the Easter holidays! So, we have gathered together some great, simple ideas for Easter activities for kids to keep them busy. These activities also result in lovely items that they can decorate the...

How to help a bullied child

How to help a bullied child

For parents, bullying is always a concern. With our child's school lives being mostly a mystery, it can be hard for parents to keep on top of their social interactions, and know how to help a bullied child should they need to. The Anti-Bullying Alliance has found that...

Pin It on Pinterest