HensloweMum

I'm very liberal about screen time amount, as long as the kids keep to every other bit of their routine and responsibilities. Eg--after school/after school sport, it's snack then homework then bath and then screen time until dinner, then after dinner if they want until bedtime. On weekends we keep relatively active, but just like adults who want to do what we like with our free time, I try to make sure my kids can do the same. If that means playing football in garden or playing on their tablet, then so be it. If it helps, I use the app called Kidslox which helps me limit on those days where it seems like they're on too much. It basically freezes the tablet so it cannot be used, if I flip the 'switch' on the app so to speak.

I don't know if I would do external. You say that taking up floorboards etc would be a bigger job than trying to do something externally but I don't actually think that's the case--it could end up being more work in the future trying to fix something you tried but then didn't work. I think taking up floorboards and putting in some really decent RWA45 rockwool is a good way to go. The problem trying to do external is keeping it dry. How would you do that without effectively building a proper ceiling and then waterproofing it? Suppose you could just have a go with some celotex or whatever and see what happens...

Hello I wanted to see if any other parents or carers have noticed a group of c. 4 children approximately ranging 8yo-13yo (three boys and a girl yesterday) being very rude and disruptive in Goose Green Playground over the last week or so. Yesterday they were there again and three were wearing all black, one wearing grey tracksuit. They repeatedly take balls from children and kick them over the fence to the road, swear/shout at kids and adults. One wrestled my son to the ground when he was there on his own the other day, and another pushed his friend to the ground making him cry. Our nanny observed them yesterday and tried to talk to them but they shouted and swore at her as well when she asked them to play nicely. I don't quite know how to deal with this if the kids are just as rude to adults as well as other children. I enjoy giving my son freedom by letting him go there on his own after a long day of homeschooling and being cooped up--it's his one joy at the moment!--so I don't want to have to take that away from him. Then again, we can't let our children go somewhere where there are kids repeatedly doing this and putting them in harm's way. If the child that is pushing and wrestling other children to the ground was 18 I would have called the police! Thoughts?

They're just reading from scripts...what a load of crap.