Sparkling Adventures in Child Neglect - "Gayby" is Born!

[Quiverfullofit]

I know people much older than 5 that don't know what "country" they are from. They just answer with their village or state or region. At first I though it was just a difference in wording,, but when further pressed about "have you ever left the country," the responses are along the lines of "I've been to Seattle" or "we go to Anchorage sometimes"

Some people refer to "living in the country" so when they travel they say they're out of the "country" even though they're in the same country. It might be a regional thing. And I know many people who don't know what a county is, so that can add to the confusion.

Country doesn't even look like a word anymore, I'm going to take a nap.

[Cheetah]

I know people much older than 5 that don't know what "country" they are from. They just answer with their village or state or region. At first I though it was just a difference in wording,, but when further pressed about "have you ever left the country," the responses are along the lines of "I've been to Seattle" or "we go to Anchorage sometimes"

I know my kids got confused on country vs. state for a long time... they would not remember that California is a state but in the same country as, say, Texas. I'm thinking they were pretty clear on it by 2nd or 3rd grade... about age 8 or a little younger.

[heidi]

I teach in the US (mixed age 4th and 5th graders--so 9-11 years old) and a lot of my students still get confused between the differences between state/country/continent. I'll never forget doing a getting-to-know-you activity at the beginning of the year when the kids had to finds someone in the room who was born in another country and a girl proudly said, "I was! I was born in Florida!" Even at that age the distinction between a state and a country is difficult to understand so I can see why Lana (who is much younger and hasn't had any formal education) wouldn't know either.

[Trynn]

Really? I always knew I was in America. I don't think I knew what Michigan was until like, 7, but I knew I lived in the country of America, and on McConnell court in the town of midland. (I don't live there now so I feel ok posting that.)

By 5th grade I don't think anybody got confused. Especially in the US where you have to say the pledge everyday and are taught a lot about he revolutionary war, it just doesn't make sense to me.

[Evilbad]

Is it weird that a five year old doesn't know what country she is from?

My son was born and grew up in Germany, we are american, and, for whatever reason, he told people his hometown was Cairo until he was in third grade. We never had the opportunity to go there so I don't even know where he got that from. Kids are strange.

[sparkles]

I think it can depend on how diverse your town and/or school may be. When we lived in Queens (NYC borough and one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country) my daughter's school made a big deal at the start of the year of having each kid place a pin on the world map in the school lobby to show what country he or she came from. So knowing your country seems like a no-brainer to me but I can see why a lot of kids might not know. Hell, we've got adults in the US who still think Alaska and Hawaii are separate countries, not states.

[snarkelle]

To me the response suggests the child would like to settle down and feel as if she belongs somewhere.

[rosalitta]

Thank you everyone for the input! I don't have any kids myself so I really didn't know what standard would be. I guess maybe it was more that the way she described it was weird to me. As the country her and Lauren were both "born" rather than "from." Though that's probably just me not being used to a nomadic lifestyle like them.

[church_of_dog]

In addition to age-appropriate terminology confusion, I thought that also their recent traveling would have had Lauren constantly trying to impress upon the girls how exciting it was that they would be seeing new/different countries as they traveled around Europe. I could see how in Lana's mind the places they visit are "just temporary" or "not real" and the place they are from/live in (when they are merely nomadic but not actually touristy-traveling) seems like a "real country" to her.

Of course, I might just think this because I was the kind of kid who would have gotten confused and said something like that when I was her age. The context in which kids see things would often surprise adults, I believe.

[amster]

I remember insisting to my parents that Sydney was just a shortening of Australia when I was about her age, maybe even older.

[16strong]

I agree. These interviews just get sadder every year.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

When I was a small child, I could have easily answered what my mom did during the day. First, she dropped us off at school, then she went to work part-time in the morning. After that she ran errands (usually to the bank), and then went home to eat lunch and watch soap operas before we rode the bus home.

Side story: I didn't know until I was much older that she hated soap operas, but watched them because we didn't have cable and they were the only thing on. :lol: My mother is the type to let you run with your impression of her for as long as you like, even if you are so very wrong. Yes, she lets idiots drown in their own stupidity, and suffers them with more manners than you've ever seen until then (when she waves them off with the most cheerful smile in the world). I love her to death, but she is as Southern as it gets.

[browncoatslytherin]

ai yi yi, those poor dreads. maybe it's just the picture, but from the birthday post, it looks like she needs some heavy duty maintenance done to them. they look frizzy and ill-formed still, despite the fact she's had them for at least a few years now. they look like my friends dreads did when she'd had them for just several months. that's not a good thing. her dreads should look a lot more mature and they do not at all. if this is simply a bad picture, i'll retract my mini-rant, but goddamn, white people dreads require good and frequent maintenance!

[DaffyDill]

So they are officially back in Australia, having arrived on January 1st.

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=2040

The second day back, off they went to spent some quality time with Hellena and Currawong

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=2041

Interestingly,she says...

Apart from a small number of favourite titles, all our reading on the road is device-based, and we’ve amassed quite an extensive collection of e-books

and...

Although they have full access to their electronic devices

Well, the "electronic devices reappeared very quickly. Either they weren't stolen at all :o or she had the funds to replace them pretty easily. I certainly couldn't afford to rush out and buy 4 tablets and a laptop, or whatever allegedly went missing. Maybe the leghumpers donated. :roll:

[courtlylove]

"Our own rats didn’t survive our absence," - surprise, surprise! No emotion from the sparkling one about this 'neutral event', either.

[DaffyDill]

"Our own rats didn’t survive our absence," - surprise, surprise! No emotion from the sparkling one about this 'neutral event', either.

And even worse, she intends to get some more when they find a breeder - poor little ratties :cry:

[August]

The other side of the grifting economy...

It is quite fitting that our first day back in Australia is also the first of the new year. Our plane arrived into Brisbane yesterday and the friends who had been borrowing The Gifted Gypsy collected us from the airport. Lana’s response to the bus’ appearance in the pick-up zone outside the Arrivals Hall echoed our whole family’s attitude. She ran up to the front corner of the bus and gave it a hug, resting her cheek against the painted metal. It’s good to be home!

translation:

Lauren, of Sparkling Adventures, was going overseas with her girls and was looking for someone to hire their house bus, the Gifted Gypsy, while they were gone. For the same price as a three week commercial rental, we could hire the Gypsy for four months. It seemed like the perfect plan, and it was.

[DaffyDill]

The other side of the grifting economy...

translation:

So Lauren, who frequently takes whatever she can get for free from "wonderful friends", doesn't do the same in return and just loan these people her bus while she was gone. Why am I not surprised? :roll:

[Blahblah]

Look out Victorians she's heading your way this year apparently.

[DaffyDill]

Look out Victorians she's heading your way this year apparently.

One of the few times I am glad I moved to Sydney from Melbourne. Although imagine running into her - could be fun...

[Miggy]

Wonder if she's driving the coast road or the inland route. Please let it be inland so she passes through my town. I'll go out and meet her and report back, I promise. She's not having any of my rats though!

[August]

Wonder if she's driving the coast road or the inland route. Please let it be inland so she passes through my town. I'll go out and meet her and report back, I promise. She's not having any of my rats though!

Might want to mention to your rat breeder cronies that the lady in red lives in a car all summer.

[Peas n carrots]

Surprise of the year - the rats kicked the bucket! We didn't see that one coming :roll:

Good to check in on Hellena and Curradong. It's been too long since I've checked in on them...I'm glad to see Hellena is still smoking copious amounts of weed and writing far out blog posts. Them two wacky kids have a warm place in my heart. Only Hellena could describe her and Curradong so eloquently:

We fuck like a god and goddess taking a break from their day jobs and moonlighting as porn stars.

[Coco]

One of the few times I am glad I moved to Sydney from Melbourne. Although imagine running into her - could be fun...

Just imagining that breaks my heart - seeing those poor neglected kids in real life without being able to rescue them and give them some stability, that would be hard to recover from.

[moodygirl86]

Poor rats. :(

[Cheetah]

Surprise of the year - the rats kicked the bucket! We didn't see that one coming :roll:

Good to check in on Hellena and Curradong. It's been too long since I've checked in on them...I'm glad to see Hellena is still smoking copious amounts of weed and writing far out blog posts. Them two wacky kids have a warm place in my heart. Only Hellena could describe her and Curradong so eloquently:

We fuck like a god and goddess taking a break from their day jobs and moonlighting as porn stars.

Oh holy heck, are you kidding me? Their poor children... can you imagine stumbling upon this? I'm sorry, it's great that you enjoy your sex life but you are a dumpy 40-something mother of many and ain't no one gonna pay to watch that.