h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What's a stookie, SWL?

A stookie is a plastercast.

>>To be honest, it's a spurious comparison. You can't compare accidents with deliberate actions.<<

Turning the conversation full circle, the comparison was made in the context of perceived risks to children, in answer to the original post. I just used to indicate what, as a parent, I worry about when it comes to being overprotective.

And its a fair point too.

Generally speaking, we think of the obvious dangers to our children - traffic, and tRoad sense for one, being able to travel on public transport safely (it helps to teach them a sense of direction) and also the ability to say "No!" or "Go Away" if any adult they don't like the "feel" of (and I use that in the intuitive sense - kids' radars are usually pretty reliable) are about. I always encouraged that in my lads, and theyre wise through their own learning and experiences. I think, broardly speaking, you have to trust your kid's innate abilities and encourage them in the ones they're already good at, and hone up the ones they need help with. Basic healthy self image, really.

It saddens me tremendously to know that even I, a rather matronly woman would be regarded with suspicion by others, when I find an occasional toddler wandering around the supermarket waling for mummy.

As a mother,my first instinct is to offer any child comfort, if only by talking gently

My first action, however, is to call for an assistant to chaperone me before I even ask "Hey, whats the matter?"

By which time the poor child is crying even harder and more hysterically, because s/he feels no-one's there to care.

There's protectiveness - and there's paranoia

BTW - thanks for explaining what a stookie is -its a phrase I'd not heard of before

It is sad, and I think we have lost the balance. When I was a kid it was made damn clear to us that we should never talk to strangers. It seemed to work at the time. However, we also knew that if we got lost or needed help for whatever reason, we could ask an adult.

Nowadays, the adult would probably run and the poor kid would have to fend for itself.

True story:

Two girls tell their parents that they "borrowed" a mobile phone from the bag of Youth Worker that they claim contained explicit images of the youth worker engaging in sexual acts. Their parents make it a police matter. All the usual child protection processes are initiated.

While the investigation is taking place the worker is not told *anything* about this and is allowed to continue in his normal duties. Even because of staff absence and poor management arangments left alone with the two girls and other young people on atleast two occasions.

The police decide that there is no case to answer. the worker is summoned to a meeting. where the chain of events is revealed to him. He denies the girls sory and says HE GAVE THE PHONE TO THEM and that he would not have not have knowingly exposed them to such material. That it was his regular practice and he had done this many times with them and other young people as sahring music and video files is a part of normal life.

The head of the service present at the meeting refused to investigate any further the two questions this evidence raises

1. Why the other member of staff did not refute the girls story that they borrowed the phone without his knowledge

2. If the woker under investigation did indeed give the phone to the girls to use and idi it contain any indecent images at all.

The head of service was happy to accept the police verdict that the girls put themselves in danger by taking the phone out of the workers personal effects and simply issued a written warning.

If you are interested in knowing the name of the head of service moreinterested in sweeping the incident under the carpet and moving on rather than investigating if the worker did knowingly expose the girls to indecent images you can ask me as I was that worker.



Many workers and parents will turn a blind eye to some dangers and make great efforts to protect children from others. In the majority of cases what sets these dangers into two different groups. Easy ones to deal with and hard ones to deal with.

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