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

hi i think i benifited by the aquisition of knowledge outside the scope of those who lived within the normal family"
your comment led me to write/start Malsbury House see it in list of entries on my page its in get writeing at moment will decide where to enter it if and when

Hi, logicus.

I read your piece on Malmsbury House, and it was very interesting to learn how the children's lives were organised there. The cultural mixing in each group seems like a really good idea. There's a lot of unofficial segregation in schools, which I think leads to ignorance that could be detrimental in later life.

Some other things in your piece are unclear to me, though. You mention other aspects of life which the older kids teach the younger ones, but you use euphemisms and don't state exactly what it was that was being taught. I think I would have to have lived there myself, to know what you mean. I found myself wondering whether you were talking about coping in the adult world, or being streetwise, or sex, or drugs, or something else.

Still, it's clear that you have an interesting perspective on childhood, and it makes me want to know more. It's one worth having in the Guide, I think--though I imagine someone will want to alter your idiosyncratic writing style first.

Have you decided what you're gonna do with it?

Not sure yet probhably not a lot however added a bit more
Aspects of life which the older kids teach the younger ones.
By this i mean life the univers everything,For eaxample being a type of home that the social sevises would use often ,along with several of the children where long stay
orphans ect would have spent ten or so years there like wise the "sisters" those in charge, five or six long term each of these sisters would be helped by trainees who would spend i think six or so month placements.
Most childeren on arriveal would be scared frightened and whilst would not accept or understand the explanation of those in charge but could easily talk to another child
who in many cases not only empathised with them but was better able to explain things.
Some one just asked me* I found myself wondering whether you were talking about coping in the adult world, or being streetwise, or sex, or drugs, or something else.*
Copeing in the adult world ,not so much in my case as i have always well ever since i was five or six always thought of my self as adult and treated every one else as one ,why i dont know but thats me i still do it today that is i will give a child of six or seven the same respect as a eighty year old,it has served me well allthough i have no childeren of my own never wanted any,one of my idiosychosies is that far too many couples have children to please parents or grandparents ,not that i had any "beefs" with my grandparents.

Being streetwise definatly as in getting to know new children one would get to here of the circumstances that brought them there weither it be the trouble in Cypres or broken home almost as many reasons as children ,also as children like to show off
i learned several illegal things how locks worked , by unpicking them ,not that the home was locked down, explosives how to make them.
How far or how to push "this or that sister" i suppose today it would be called body lanquage, also taught me or gave me i suppose a better word a natural distust of
systems or authoroty i mean by that all the children wore same shoes styleof clothes
one of the first thing that hsappened was haircut ,set bathnights ,bedtimes ,curfews that sort of thing, also diets eat your green so to speak ,i still hate fish today.


but you use euphemisms , i tend to try and anticipate possiable replies to my "comment" also forget sometimes reader cannot see my brain ticking over so to speak but does not stop me seeing theirs if that helps,drugs yes i learnt a bit but they did not play a big part
i myself did not use any untill i was 17/18 , but doing the rounds so to speak "brownbombers""purplehearts" speed ,sex well was well aware of that before entered home but it did raise its head allthough i do not remember any one being pregnent or treated with penicillan.

If you don't mind my asking, did you spend most of your childhood in care, or did you keep switching between family and care?

No feel free to ask, i went into care aged 10 ,left care first opppertunity aged 15 half.Allthough i was not fostered out i knew some that where includeing my sister (younger) was.Why i dont know as she was 14ish at the time (i do really /she was sweet/worth £x pounds a week to foster parents) she found out years later from axcessing records,"things done (for the good of the "child")dont appear so in hindsight" .

Maybe my view is biased ,but it is based on personal experience ,and the "cockups or blatent not my problem anymore attitude" that has led to "well i dont need to point out the latest gaff" where another appaling blunder has led to the death or injury to some child or other ,or other equaly abhorrent happenings.

My mother tried fostering for a while. She thought it would be just like bringing up her own children, and would be easy money for something she had to do anyway. She was completely unprepared for just how messed up the child would be. She thought that, if she were nice to the girl, the girl would be nice to her; but the girl expected to be treated the same by people whether she was well-behaved or not. She had huge public tantrums, ran away regularly, got drunk, smoked cigarettes, and put herself in lots of dangerous situations. My mother didn't know what on earth to do, and in the end had to let Social Services take the girl back.

take a special person to foster a lot of faith and commitment bit like being a nun ,needing the skills of a sas commander.Comeing through the "system" helps but life circumstances often mean it is done vocationaly rather than paid for.Unforetunately more often than not it is "cost orientated" ,funny fry reforms what some 140 odd years ago ,yet reverting back to problems from then !

What were these reforms supposed to tackle?

if my memory serves "child labour" "child prostitution" "indenture laws" victorian reformist ,pre barnardos nch being two home system ,that DHSS would have used ,phased out ,late 80/90 it seems more over to "care in community" fostering ect

Hallo, logicus.

I just reread this thread. Looks like we could do with digging up old Fry to sort things out, doesn't it? Good old Care in the Community--shame there's not much of a Community these days to do the caring.