In serious need of an update

So here it is.
Charlotte turned 4 last weekend. We had a party for her and some of her friends. The thing to do is to take 20 of her closest friend to an indoor soft play area. But we decided to run it ourselves here. We had a pink party. Really scary having to entertain half a dozen 4 year olds. They all had fun. Julie did her e-bay buying for pink stuff and each kid left with a wealth of pinkness. I even bought a pink t-shirt for the event.


Sunday was her birthday. We bought her a bicycle. When she saw it she was speechless and hugged us both. Happy child. Unfortunately she has only been out on it once, because of a combination of foul weather and a bout of coughing in the house. Julie, Charlotte and Katherine have all a bad cough for the past week or so, and in the middle of the night you can hear it from each room. It's getting so bad i am thinking of putting lambs blood on the front door.



The course hit high gear this month with EVERYTHING due in a few weeks. The last piece of work needs to be handed in next week, so i am well on course for it. I have enjoyed it so far, but it does tend to take over your whole thinking. We are off until the end of January;-)

Work is interesting. We have barred one lad for a month, and he will only bne allowed in next week if he meets to make a contract of behaviour. He has been at the door most times we have been open the last few weeks with questions like "when am i allowed back in?", "what's a contract?" and "what did i do?". Don't get me wrong, but if he felt that you needed to know the answers to these questions, you would think he would remember it for half an hour, instead of asking me a couple of times a night. He also keeps telling me he hates the drop-in.

We also got the TV books yeaterday, he, he.

Difference between 'stupid' and 'ignorant'

Friday in Quest I spoke of Viktor Frankl and his time in Concentration camps, and of seeing his wife and parents killed there, and the terrible conditions that were in these camps.
One of the boys, a first year, said 'well, they shouldn't of gone there'. I had to explain that it wasn't a holiday camp, and then went into a bit more detail.
He wasn't stupid, but ignorant. He had never heard of a concentration camp. I, on the other hand, should of explained it better than assuming everyone would know about something 60 years ago. That is stupid.

Mixed bag

I've managed to read a few fiction books over the summer. I did manage to finish the last Potter book. It wasn't the best of all the Potter books, but it was enjoyable. The impressive thing is that Rowling kept the continuity in the series, something that George Lucas has never been able to do. If he was incharge of the Potter francise, he would now re release all the books with slightly different plot points, like Voldimort firing first. But well done JK Rowling.

In work we have had our 'activity week'. It was a good week, and the weather kept fine. We did orienteering on Thursday, set up by someone else. I always fancied it as a nice easy sport that brings you out door in a gentle sort of way. I must of been thinking of something else. I am still aching. (Maybe geocaching is something to try.) It is a pity that the boys in the drop-in never came to the activity week. They stay clear of anything that is outside of their comfort zone.

Went into town today, and discovered that is was the last Saturday. Nearly got caught up in it. The town did make an effort. The farmers market was on with lots of lovely junk for sale. There was also free face painting and balloon modeling. I will post a photo.

We did venture in and see the bands. It just reminded me of why I stopped going to such things. Mainly all blood and thunder bands, with names that included the words 'loyal', 'sons of' and 'defenders'. Most of these ones carried flags in front in a proto military style, and one had UVF flags. A lot of people watching word Rangers tops, which must of confused the hell out of any tourists.

Emotions

Had an interview for the diploma in Counselling. It was a nice interview, but it made me fear. Will I be able to do the work, and give the time for study at home? The money is also a fear. Workis paying a substancial amount, but there are lots of hidden costs, including extra tuition fees every year, and clincal supervision costs. Fear runs in my veins now.

We have had the smoking sign removed twice today. That makes me angry. The culprit will not let it stay, and knows we will close, so he is playing Ruth and myself against the other young people.

After we closed early this evening, we had a parent tell us off. He said a lot of stuff that was wrong, and in some cases a bit offensive to us; but his point was basicly 'the need of the many out ways the needs of the few', or, we are punishing all the kids for the crime of the one, who is now known to us. Taht is a bit humiliating to get told by someone else that we are wrong, but in that, he had a point. Now we just have to decide what to do about it that will work.

Grrr....

We had a meeting on thursday night for the drop-in crowd. We have had the signs, which we have to display about the new smoking regulations, torn down regularly over the past few weeks. Two weeks ago, we decided if it continues to close for a session, in a hope that the other boys would 'have a word' with the ones who were taking the sign down. Last week we were closed half our sessions.
So a meeting was called, and we opened not knowing if any would come, and what mood they were in. Really, it was close to a waste of time. We had around twelve in for the meeting, but the boys decided it was the perfect way of showing a) how little they wanted to be seen to care, and b) how little they know about humour (saying the same one liner that three people have used in the past two minutes is not as funny as you may think). It did highlight that we were serious about the sign.
Some of these boys have squewiff views on life. Reading 'Nuts' magazine tells them taht if a girl does not want to have sex with them, something is wrong with her, the tell each other that taking sweets from the shop without paying is not stealing, and anyone else who is different is fair game. Makes me glad of teh morals that were shown to me when i grew up.

It's a fair cop!

We love to watch 'New Tricks' as one of our TV programmes together. The evedence is brought together near the end of each episode and the main suspect (usually the most famous guest actor) such as claw marks on a door and puma poo on next doors lawn, and the suspect owns up to it immediatly.
In the Cornerstone, our boys don't seem to watch these cop shows. They always deny that it was them what did it, no matter what evidence you produce, including seeing them do it.
We bought a PS2 last Wednesday in teh centre. We held back for a long time, mainly due to the attutude there is about stuff. "If it breaks, it's noty mine so it doesn't matter". But we bought a package with the "buzz" games, and the boys were really greatful. Untill last night. One boy waded through the controller cables, sending the console flying and damaging a game. He went back to his seat and giggled. No appology. No helping set it back. No remorse. One broken game in a week. No one cared. We could always buy another.
Today I checked over the system again, and found someone had stuck chewing gum on a controller.
Sometimes the job can be painfull with dissapointment in the human condition.

Smoking Kills

With the new smoking laws coming into force in NI on 30th April (hurraa!!!) and , while we have no smoking in the Cornerstone, the porch is a haven to the nicotine addicted adolescence. But with the porch being more than 50% walled, we can now bann smoking there. The little darlings will have to hide this from there parents elsewhere.
We have given fair warning, with notice going out last night. Some of the boys were not too sure.

Smokey boy:Why are you starting it on 30th April?
Me: Because that is when the law comes in.
SB: No, it comes in on 31st April.
M: There aren't 31 days in April.
SB: There are in a leap year.
M: [THUD, THUD, THUD]

First day of spring

What a great day. The buzz of lawnmowers showed what a good day it was. I should of mowed the lawn, dug the garden, but instead Charlotte helped me wash the cars.

After lunch we all went to Portrush and parked on the East Strand, where a Surf competition was happening. We spent a while building sand castles. We did have a walk around town, ice creama and the White House (as well as bumping into Alex and Christine).

In work this week..

One of the boys has been peeing round the toilet seat. It happened last friday during quest in teh Coffe shop loo, so a trap was easyto set. To be honest I was fairly certain who it was, but D is a herbitual lier. I mean, if you see him do something, he will still lie about it. So the trap was set yeaterday, he peed in seat, so i went up to him and said "you can either go out now, or clean the toilet seat you peed over". D stood up , said " It wasn't me, I'll clean it" and went on to do a faily good job of cleaning it. I was impressed, and told him so, that he took responsability for what he did wrong. The odd time there are these small victories.

Bebo

After a news story about Bebo being used by young people to arrange violent clashed in LondonDerry made me check out the site and see what it is used for.
I was shocked(which seems to be the way alot of people are).

• It was very easy to find people. You can hide your page, but most poepl I tried to find didn't.
• Young people put far toomuch detail on, such as full name, age, school, town they live in and photos.
• The way it is used by some to promote secctarianism, and to cultivat the justification of this by peer feedback.
• It is pandemic of some young people having this tecno age need to be in near constant communication, and the need to be part of a grouping or sub-culture.

I really think this can be a great tool, but is being used as a weapon by too many, and too few adults do not know it is there.