Rosie17/4/04 10:19
Thanks for all the advice and wise words.
I think I will keep the tree. I agree that educating my daughter not to eat
anything in the garden is the best approach. So far her main gardening
activity is digging up worms and snails and 'cuddling' them.
(She is always supervised in the garden and whilst of course it is 'my job'
to do that, one does occasionally get distracted by the odd weed that needs
tending...)
Thanks for advice and thoughts!
ROSIE
I think keeping the tree is the better option, Rosie. You could, of course,
get rid of it but you really can't keep her from *everything* and learning
at home is much, much the best lesson. And to be honest, accidents with
children happen so fast that a moment's inattention can lead to anything in
or out of the home - all 3 of mine nearly drowned once when
the-person-in-charge turned away from the sea to drag their towels etc. up
the beach and out of swamping range.
Our grand daughter is the adventurous type and our house being Victorian,
the banisters aren't the regulation 'safety distance' apart. We have a
'gallery' staircase and twice within 30 minutes of her arriving to stay here
for a long period, I found her upstairs, with her body between the balusters
and one foot hanging over the edge - clinging on only by her two very small
hands. I must say that my nerve failed me at that point and we put clematis
trellis all the way up and round the stairs. It looked most peculiar but it
cut down on my Valium sandwiches. The kickback on this is that in her own
home she started playing about on the stairs a few weeks back, fell down
about 6 steps and had a greenstick fracture. In our house she'd have broken
her neck.
--
Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)