Policy decisions

This has been a week of decisions.

Monday I had a meeting with our head of school (Psychology). I entered the office confident. A position (in fact, several positions) had become available and I suspected I might be given a short-term contract offer in relation to that role. Instead he informed me that the direction of the school was inconsistent with what I offer, and there are no short, medium, or long-term opportunities at the school for me. I walked out feeling quite low. I gave a lecture almost immediately after that meeting and felt better. I love lecturing and teaching.

My hours in the office are becoming a greater chore. I am finding less to be content with at the University. I suspect my head of school’s conversation with me may have accelerated my discontent.

Wednesday is my day off work, and I spent the day marking student assignments and making decisions that may affect the remainder of my life. I will be off contract at uni in 8 weeks. At that time I’ll be putting all of my effort into building my business. My attempts to do so this year have been flaky. But now I have the right ingredients to make it happen. My book is due out in 12 weeks. I no longer have the security and steadiness of the uni position. And I have a burning desire to do something that is meaningful and enjoyable in my life. I felt enthusiasm and momentum by the end of Wednesday. It was promptly quashed when I returned to work Thursday.

My lunchtime bike ride was my day’s highlight. I beat my previous record ascending a nearby mountain by over 30 seconds. I feel good when I ride my bike hard.

Friday I left work and drove to Sydney for a dinner I had been invited to as a wrap up for the charity bike ride (Pollie Pedal) I went on some months ago. It was held in a breathtaking home privately owned by one of the ride sponsors. It was on Sydney Harbour and was stunning in every way. The evening was delightful, with great food, and lots of catching up with new friends.

I spent some time talking with Tony Abbott, the man who hopes to become Australia’s next Prime Minister. We’d spoken briefly before. I was surprised he remembered my name. He was extremely warm. I asked him why he holds a policy position on an issue I feel he has wrong. His response surprised me. He completely agreed with me. Then he clearly pointed out that in the ‘real’ world, we can’t have what we want, and so his policy is aimed at getting us as close to the ideal as we can given that the ‘right’ outcomes are unachievable.

Saturday I tried to recover from a post-midnight arrival. I don’t do well without sleep. Kylie celebrated the birthdays of two friends while I stayed home for an early night. Then Sunday we enjoyed Church, some time with friends during the afternoon, and more roast chicken and vegetables. I savoured the peppermint choc chip ice-cream we had for dessert and felt blessed for the ongoing goodness in our lives.

Camping, and more media

I have few highlights to mention this week, but the highlights we’ve enjoyed have been wonderful. First, my book is now being sent to the printer. Dr John Irvine got his recommendation in to me just before it was too late to be included:

“I just love the way this book is written – very practical, very focused on parent issues and at the same time very humble; Justin is not saying “pedants hear the word” but rather here are some ideas that seem to work, what do you think? It’s practical, easy to read, well referenced and covers so many of the day to day topics that parents agonize about. It’s also well presented in case studies, summary points, quotes … and everything to make this book an eminently readable and sensible addition to the parental reference library.”

I’m grateful that these people, who are so busy, sought after, and respected, are willing to lend their names and their support to my work. It feels terrific to know that my words are going to be printed and made available for everyone to own and read.

I had considerable media attention this past week. Once again, the nationwide high-stakes standardised testing regime has commenced for children in years 3, 5, 7, and 9. I wrote a piece about how it is affecting our children and how the negatives of the testing outweigh any benefits that it is claimed to give. The article was published online at The Punch. Then ABC radio Sydney got hold of it and rang me. Then I was on ABC radio Brisbane. I got printed in the Daily Telegraph, and the local Wollongong paper. I was filmed for the local news, and also ended up on national television with The Project and the TODAY show.

I finished work early Thursday (with some hours I held in lieu) and we took the family camping to Glenworth Valley, on the Central Coast. It was a quiet, wide open space. The weather was perfect. Our preparation was better than it has been previously. We had a delightful time, and some learning experiences: first, don’t camp near trees. The dew drops onto the tent are a form of torture. One every three seconds will keep you awake all night. Second, children will swim in water no matter how cold it is. Third, it is not possible to pack enough clothing for children to stay clean while camping. Finally, no bedding alternative comes close to the comfort of my bed.

For Christmas last year Alisa and Adam kindly gave our family some cash instead of gifts. Kylie and I decided that we would use that money for camping trips. So with that money, Kylie and Chanel went on a two-hour trail ride on the horses. We also paid for a ‘lead pony’ (which was a slightly older, more tired horse) for Abbie, Ella, and Annie to ride. Kylie led them around the fields for an hour and they loved it.

The woman leading the trail ride that Kylie and Chanel were on was taken with Chanel’s delightful personality, and her enthusiasm for horses (which was previously unknown). Chanel was invited to ‘volunteer’ as a worker. So Saturday morning Chanel went to the office at 7.30am, brushed and saddled horses, fed them, rode them, shoveled poop, threw hay off the back of a moving vehicle, and generally worked hard. Abbie and Ella were terribly disappointed that volunteers must be 12 years or older. I collected Chanel at 5.30pm for the long drive back to Wollongong. Chanel was bubbling with delight. (And she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.)

Sunday we felt good to be wake up clean and in our own beds. Church was quiet. I need to be more purposeful. The roast chicken and potatoes we had for dinner made me grateful for the blessed and abundant lives we lead.

Mother's Day Pancakes

Mother’s Day. While part of me is annoyed at the crass triumph of commercialism that promotes the ‘need’ we have to celebrate our mothers by spending money on them, another (perhaps larger) part of me thinks it is important that we all stop and take the time to appreciate ‘mum’. I think it should be more than once a year though.

Today my focus was on Kylie, ensuring the children had a chance to tell her of their love and appreciation. Things didn’t start so well. Lilli had Kylie and I out of bed far too early – certainly before I had a chance to prepare breakfast in bed. Nevertheless, Kylie ate delicious muesli, the very best (Gippsland) yogurt, and then some eggs on toast for a special Mother’s Day breakfast. The children shared their cards and gifts. I spoke briefly to my mum, Kylie’s mum, and Nanna Bunt before realising we were late to church.

Chanel sang a Mother’s day song in church, and our sacrament meeting also focused on the Christlike example of the speaker’s mothers. Sunday school was uplifting. My priesthood lesson on prayer was flat – perhaps because we only had three of us in attendance – but as we closed I recalled two things my mother always taught me about prayer. I shared those things and left the meeting feeling uplifted. Mum always corrected me when I said “I hope” for something. Instead, mum would scold me, “say I pray”, and then do it. Mum taught me not to hope until AFTER I’d prayed. I also shared my favourite story of mum insisting on prayer when we were lost out in the Watagan mountains on a 4WD trip. As I recall, Dad insisted on turning around and trying to find our way out. Mum suggested, then demanded, we pray. After our prayer we drove another few hundred metres before finding someone who was able to direct us to our destination. I felt grateful for my mother and her example of faith to me.

Lunch was shared with some friends, D & A and their four children. We were supposed to have a picnic but terrible winds blew that plan away. We ate pancakes with ice-cream, raspberries, peaches, and syrup. Decadent. Then Kylie and A played craft while D and I took the kids to the beach for a walk. Tonight I cleaned, spoke on the phone to wish Nanna Coulson a happy mother’s day, and put the kids to bed. Kylie has an upset stomach so I’ve left her to recover and relax. Hopefully she’ll feel better in the morning. It’s been a big day and I’m ready to drop.

The past two weeks have gone quickly, but not a great deal has been worth reporting. Work is still failing to inspire, but it is enough for us, and we are grateful for it. Abbie May ran in her district cross-country and shocked us with her result. Last year at the district event Abbie came 17^th in her group. This year she improved to come 9^th. We were delighted with Abbie’s effort and she was thrilled to have made such a leap in twelve months.

Beyond that, Chanel had a school camp for two nights. We missed her and were pleased to have her return. I rode my bike to Gosford (200km) last Saturday for a family dinner. Kylie drove with the children (I have a very tolerant wife). Kylie and I watched a movie, The Avengers, which was mildly entertaining (I give it 6.5 out of 10).

Lastly, during the week some friends came to us when we discovered some serious psychological difficulties for their teenage child. We were able to spend some hours with them, listening, offering support, and eventually working with them until they reached a point where they felt comfortable seeking further assistance from appropriately trained people. We felt grateful to be able to be trusted, to be able to help, and to know that our own children are healthy and thriving. Our lives are blessed beyond deserving.