Cheese is $12

So with six or so weeks to go until fatherhood – give or take of course how late or early he decides to be, I thought what a great time to say all those things people will hold me to afterwards regarding parenting!

It seems to me that being a parent in NZ is becoming increasingly more difficult. The anti-smacking bill passed last year has narrowed options for parents who now live in fear of even touching their children unless some over zealous neighbour or bystander imagines that a light tap is actually “abuse’ or a ‘beating’; which is completely understandable given that Sue Bradford the instigator of the law doesn’t seem to know the difference and will always use the more emotive word to support her over-reaction. When will Sue realise that those who lightly smack their children aren’t the ones who will ‘beat’ their children. The law has made no difference yet and won’t ever make a positive difference – kids are still dying – we need to wake up and actually do something rather than pretend that this bill will solve our nation’s problem.

Being soon to be parents you think about these things – like if my child is screaming and carrying on in the supermarket – hmm... where shall I conduct my family conference with him so we can reason and come to a logical outcome for the two of us – so that I acknowledge his pain and finally give in to his demands for that chocolate bar. But wait giving in now may mean he might develop anti-social behaviour and will be identified at the early age of 5 as a potential criminal and then I will have to go to parenting courses to learn how to give in the right way.

For years no one seemed remotely interested in our children, all of a sudden the pendulum has swung the other way and we are subjected to a real ‘nanny state’ where the nanny ‘mos well live in!

The cost of living is skyrocketing with staple foods like bread, milk and now cheese and butter becoming luxuries for the average family. If our Government really wants to help families then here is their perfect opportunity.

But of course I should be careful lest my blog becomes labelled Political advertising under the electoral freedom bill and gets shut down – so perhaps enough for this week, back to reading parenting books : )

Sir Edmund Hillary

Welcome back to the blog for 2008.

Today Sir Edmund Hillary died aged 88. It was in 1953 that he and Sherpa Tenzing scaled Mt Everest. That got me thinking. How often have we seen Sir Ed on the TV in the past 50 years?

Not being 50 I can’t speak for earlier times but it seems to me that we have seen him often in the last 20 years that I remember. He like many other high-profile New Zealanders is often asked for his opinion on a variety of issues in NZ.

Have you ever wondered whether they have any expertise in the areas they are being asked about?

Have you noticed that as soon as someone ‘makes it’ in one area of life that they are miraculously elevated to the rank of expert commentator in all areas of life.

I suspect that tonight on the news we will be subjected to a plethora of NZ celebrities talking about Sir Ed and how he was such a great bloke. Now I don’t have an issue with them saying that but I wonder if they knew him anymore than you or I may have.

The American election is a great example of this phenomenon with high profile celebrities lining up on either side of the political divide to support their chosen candidate – suddenly they have become experts on economic policy and foreign relations!

I guess the more worrying thing is that we as the viewer don’t even stop to question whether or not Richie McCaw is the most qualified person to speak about global warming; we just take their word as gospel.

I remember as a 15 year old being asked by the local paper whether or not I thought the drivers of Thames would cope with the new (and first) roundabout that had been put in. Being opinionated I gave my views which were duly published in the next day’s edition. Of course no one stopped to ask me whether I even had a car (which I didn’t) or even if I knew how roundabouts worked.

I wonder how many ‘celebrities’ will look back at the things they said and realised they were little more than uneducated soundbites made for tv viewing and wish they had never said them…I wonder…?