Vintage parents
Posted by dulwichmum on Sun 11 March 2007
By the swings in Dulwich Park on Sunday afternoon, I heard a ‘vintage’ dad – (all Dulwich children have mature parents at the very least) angrily chastise his three year old daughter:
‘Don’t ask me to pick you up again Emily, you know I have a bad back.’
Mature parents are those poor mothers and fathers who started a family in their mid- thirties, and make up at least two thirds of local parents here in leafy middle class suburbia. The rest of the parents by the swings on any given Sunday afternoon, consist of silver haired vintage papa’s (at least fifty years of age), accompanied by substantially younger – but still early thirties ex trophy wives (exhaustion plays havoc with the complexion and hair darling!).
There is much more to leaving the wife and family for a younger model than they anticipated. There is the dreaded second family – don’t men realise? (ha, ha, ha). A second round of sleepless nights, breastfeeding, potty training and tantrums await any man who dares to leave his faithful and exhausted wife just as the teenage children head off to University.
Pay back time….. It really is so satisfying to observe.
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Anchored Deep said,
I’m so flattered Dulwich Mum – I never thought of myself as a trophy wife before! (but he didn’t leave his ex for me – that was dead and buried 10 years before meeting me!) Yes, the jazz man is one of those grey haired dad’s everyone mistakes for the sprog’s grand-dad!! One funny thing is that in all of my baby group, which was filled by younger eager newish dads who is doing more child-care out of all of them? Yes, it’s the jazz man – who does at least a day in the week in comparsion to the younger dads who give the mums ‘a break’ for a few hours or two at the playground. I’ll stop now and continue this on my blog tommorrow because I’m on a roll!
East Dulwich Mum said,
Very well observed!
Scruffy Mummy said,
Yes, I’ve just added something to my blog about vintage dads as my partner is one!
dulwichmum said,
I just noticed in tonights newspaper that Jonathan Dimbleby (62) marries his pregnant girlfried Jessica Ray (31) today.
His ex wife of 36 years can look forward to hearing that he has dislocated his hip on the see saw in the local park.
Hurrah, there is a God…
eastdulwichhilary said,
Sorry to harp on about the schools issue, but for me it remains front and centre as the panic attacks CONTINUE despite the nail-biting assessments and decisions-making etc being well and truly over. Did anyone else HAPPEN to see the FT this weekend, and its bleeping “guide” to the top independent schools?? it’s official, i well and truly hate myself. how could i have chosen school number 67 (or whatever) when I could have chosen school number 4?? Am I daft?? I will spend the next 14 years trying to make it up to my little angel.
dulwichmum said,
Dear Eastdulwichhilary,
I didn’t see the FT. Please tell me, is it online? Which school is 67, and which is 4? I am holding my breath……
Townleygreen said,
Dear Hilary,
You really mustn’t worry. League table positions vary from year to year, and both schools are amongst the best in the country. Also, some Heads massage their results by not allowing weaker pupils to sit certain papers if they might not get the required grades. Others will not let such pupils back into do A levels. What would you rather? A caring school that looks after all its pupils? Or one that might exclude your daughter if she wasn’t up to scratch in the future?
Let me assure you that the school you have chosen will produce a very highly qualified, very well adjusted young lady if my experiences are anything to go by. Please stop worrying.
Best wishes
dulwichmum said,
Dear Eastdulwichilary,
I am so pleased that lovely Townleygreen read your comment and provided some sensible advice. I am sure she is the voice of reason in all this madness.
Townleygreen said,
Dear Dulwichmum,
Actually, I am a man! Thanks anyway.
dulwichmum said,
Dear Mr Townleygreen,
I can only apologise. It has seemed at times as though it was only us Dulwichmums who were so worried about school selection. I should have realised that the Dulwichdads were listening carefully all along. They just could not get a word in!
I am so pleased that you visit this site, as I said before – you are my oracle!
Townleygreen said,
Dear Dulwichmum,
Good lady, there is no need to apologize. I am one of you biggest admirers. Your blog is justly popular and most entertaining. May it ever be so!
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