Tuesday 26 July 2016

Parklife - An Homage

My daughter and I have begun making a pilgrimage to the park on almost a daily basis.

Most days it's just us, sometimes Daddy comes too, and recently we even met up with some other mother and baby buddies (when I discovered I apparently push the swings shockingly high for a nine-month-old... But she loves it!).

Anyway, I was thinking of a way to pay tribute to our new ritual in blog form, and have decided to take inspiration from one of the great poets of the Twentieth Century, Damon Albarn. 

So here is my reinterpretation of Parklife, through the eyes of a parent. Well, life is all a bit of a Blur these days...

Distraction is a preference for the habitual subscriber to what is known as...
(Parklife!)
And late afternoon meltdown can be avoided if you take a buggy straight to what is known as...
(Parklife!)
Jane's got neurotic mother syndrome, she gets intimidated by the rowdy older children on the roundabout, they love a bit of danger.
(Parklife!)
Who's that woman doing lunges with her pram?! You should cut down on your exercise mate, have an ice cream.
All the parents,
So many parents,
And they all go in desperation,
Exhaustedly through their Parklife.
Know what I mean?
I get up when I want, except pretty much everyday when I get rudely awakened by my baby shouting for attention.
(Parklife!)
I put my dirty leggings on, have at least three cups of coffee and I think about leaving the house.
(Parklife!)
I feed the ducks, I sometimes feed the pigeons and the seagulls too,
Forget feelings of well-being, it fills up the morning until lunchtime.
(Parklife!)
And I try to keep her happy for the rest of the day, safe in the knowledge there will always be a bit of time, once she's in bed, which I can devote to Netflix.
All the parents,
So many parents,
And they all go packed-lunch-under-the-pram,
Sleepwalking through their Parklife.
Parklife!
It's got nothing to do with the children's enjoyment, you know?
(Parklife!)
It's just something to do while every sodding baby group shuts down for the summer holidays and the weeks until September go on and on and on...
(Parklife!)
Altogether now:
All the parents,
So many parents,
And they all go hand-in-hand
With a tireless child through their Parklife. 
Admissions Of A Working Mother
Rhyming with Wine
Pink Pear Bear
The Pramshed