Dr Who Experience Cardiff

A Weeping Angel – possibly one of the scariest baddies ever created on the series

In August we took a trip to Cardiff to see the Dr Who Experience. It’s not a long trip to get there from London – about 2.5 hours from Paddington – and you do get glimpses of the countryside as you hurtle from East to West, however, there are a lot of hedges by the side of the train line, so you also get a lot of green flashing past.

We decided to stay for 3 nights and got a deal through The Trainline website  http://www.thetrainline.com/. They are worth checking out as they often have great specials. We choose the Novatel, as on the map it was showing as walking distance to both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay. It turned out to be in a ‘nothing happening’ sort of area, but was conveniently placed. It also offered family rooms with a queen sized bed (that’s kingsize to you English) and a double sofa bed, although the kids said it wasn’t very comfortable. It also had a pool which was a big hit with the kids! I would probably choose to stay somewhere nearer the centre of the city in future and just catch the rail link down to the Bay.

When we went there, the football season hadn’t started, there were no rugby games on and the many Universities that are located in Cardiff were on a break. So it was very, very quiet. I can imagine that it would be quite lively if any of the above were happening. The train comes into Cardiff Central and you are very close to the Millennium Stadium if you are coming to see a game. There are bus links and a one stop train link about 500 metres from the main train station that will take you down to Cardiff Bay. The Bay area has been undergoing a major redevelopment in past years and is a pleasant place to wander around on a summer’s evening and have dinner at one of the many restaurants. It reminded me a lot of the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour in Western Australia.

It is also where you will find the Dr Who Experience. Situated right on the waterfront in an oversized tin shed, the Experience will take you about 1.5-2 hours to go through. You can find details of what is on offer and ticket prices here  http://www.doctorwhoexperience.com/ . When we went, there was an option that allowed a limited amount of people onto the current TARDIS set, but now it is just general admission. We weren’t able to snag the extra option tickets, but the general admission was good value. You get a Matt Smith interactive movie – this will obviously need to be changed soon – get to stand in the previous TARDIS set as part of the interactive movie and then get to see a great collection of old sets, costumes, baddies and general material associated with this iconic TV series.

Lots of Daleks to see!

I would recommend that you take the time to watch the video about the woman who wrote the original music for the show. Quite an interesting and poignant look at a women who really wasn’t recognised for her talent at the time.

Cardiff is a very pleasant place to visit. We travelled on the open top tourist bus one day, which gave us a look at the main parts of the town and it does go to Cardiff Bay. This would be a good option if you were doing a day trip and wanted to see a bit of the city as well. There is also a huge shopping mall in the City Centre with most of the major stores there (including a large John Lewis), so if Dr Who isn’t your thing and shopping is, this will be the place for you.

And while you’re in Wales, don’t forget to try the local beer. I imagine it is a hit with zombies!

Beer for Zombies

Letting your children grow up by letting go – On Helicopter Parenting

Letting your children grow up by letting go – On Helicopter Parenting.

Letting your children grow up by letting go – On Helicopter Parenting

WikiWorld comic based on the article “Helicopter parent” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In an age where a term has been created for parents who hover and watch over their child’s every move – a helicopter parent – where do we draw the line between smothering and infantilising our children and letting them grow into confident, independent beings?

So often we are confronted by horror stories involving children which have us instinctively drawing our kids closer, wanting to protect them from any possible hurt. A natural response, but is it the best thing for our kids in the long run? A hockey game a few weeks ago became an analogy for me to think about how we are smothering our kids, not trusting them make their own decisions and learn from their mistakes.

In the first game of the season in the 10-11 year olds league, my daughter’s team fronted up on the field with another bunch of equally nervous 10-11 year olds. Apart from a few training sessions, most of these girls didn’t really know each other very well. From the outset, it was pretty clear that both teams were equal in terms of a limited amount of ability. But my daughter’s team won 4-0 and the other team barely touched the ball. Why?

The other team had a disadvantage. They had a parent/coach on the field. You’re allowed to have your coach on the field at this age. Our coach, a teenager not that much older than our girls, chose to call out occasional comments to the players. The parent/coach was barking out orders non stop. It got so intense, that the girls from the other team became frozen, unable to make a move without an order to do so. But the game moves so fast, that you have to make your own decisions and work with your teammates or you just get left behind. And our girls did just this. It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t pretty, but they made it work. Our teen coach knew they were capable of this, but the other parent couldn’t see it in ‘her’ girls.

My daughter catches the bus home from her school. She’s done it since she was 8. It was very scary for her at first, but it’s a school bus with only girls on it. Yet the amount of mothers who look at me with horror (and distain) when I tell them that she catches the bus is quite astounding. My son started walking the 1 kilometre, over a semi-busy road and through a large park, to his school when he was 8. Okay, I admit that I was guilty of driving half way to school to spy on him walking home to make sure he was OK. He still walks to and from school, in rain or shine and he loves it. He loves being independent. My daughter loves being with other girls on the bus and the chats she gets to have with girls not in her year.

I trust my kids. I trust my own parenting (most of the time anyway!).  I have given them opportunities to develop independence as they grew up. I have given them the ability and knowledge to look at situations, size them up and make decisions for themselves. Does it always go to plan? Of course not. But I have allowed them to make mistakes and learn from them. It was small steps all the way, but, as we are about to head to a new country for a few years, I am confident that my kids will be able to take their new environment in hand and continue to thrive as they head into young adulthood.

I started letting go with baby steps. It’s terrifying…truly it is. But my role as a parent is to show my kids how to live as happy and capable adults in this world. They won’t be able to do that if I am always there on stage with them, rather than watching from the wings. And I have also been learning, hard as it is, when I should not even be at the performance.