okay, chapter seven. otherwise known as, 11 months to go on the lease. i apologize for posting only bad news. but this is a serious issue that concerns everyone invested in the well-being of their children. it isn't all party hats and cupcakes, parenthood. enclosed, is a letter just sent to the Academy. comments, welcome, as always. abuse, not so much.
I’m writing to the directors of Bolingbroke Academy about the behaviour of your students in the children’s playground at Chivalry Road. I am sending copies of this letter to the police, who have already been alerted, and responded to my call from the park tonight, and to Wandsworth Council.
I was in the park tonight, and as usual, several of your students arrived after school with their bicycles. There is a sign clearly posted outside the playground that instructs no bicycles are to be brought into the playground at all. Your students have an established routine of riding their bicycles in the playground, shouting, and kicking balls over the heads of small children — all of which frightens them — and even smoking marijuana, in full view of children and their parents.
I once saw them tear down a limb of a tree hanging over the playing field at the rear of the playground in a display of wanton destruction with no conceivable motive. As you may imagine, this was deeply alarming to me and many other parents present. What — if I may inquire — are teenagers doing in a children’s park at all? I know they attend your school because their school uniforms have badges that bear your logo.
My son is two. This has happened on so many occasions, many of us amongst the parents who frequent the park have discussed what to do. Last night, I finally asked one of the kids not to ride his bicycle in the park itself; but to leave it outside, or alternatively, to walk it next to him when he enters the playground. I thought this was a fair request. I made in in a reasonable tone.
This was met by a torrent of abuse and swiftly I was surrounded by a gang of teenagers who were verbally abusive and relentless in calling me a series of names in front of my son, insulting me for the better part of an hour while I stood my ground, with my son, awaiting the arrival of the parks police, who did arrive in due course.
Meanwhile, several passers by intervened on my behalf, as did several mothers who were present with their children. As far as your students’ behaviour is concerned, I am 100% disgusted. Apart from abusing me, and my son, they were engaged in mounting a completely farcical, utterly ridiculous, semi-coherent, pseudo-legalistic, self-serving justification of their behaviour.
In my opinion, these overgrown children are frankly intolerable and a serious physical threat to my son and myself, as well as any other parents and children who have the bad luck to meet them. To say nothing of the innocent bystanders they also insulted while I was present.
When the police officer arrived, he instructed them in no uncertain terms that bicycles are not allowed on the grounds of the park. He further instructed them that unless they are accompanying children under twelve they are not allowed to enter the playground at all. Some of them claimed to be accompanying siblings or cousins. These children were nowhere in view. Nor have they ever been so accompanied. They arrive on their own. They leave on their own. That’s all.
From now on, if I see them there, at any time, I will immediately phone the parks police. I will be pursuing this issue with Wandsworth Council and will demand that they hold you accountable for ensuring your students’ behaviour does not intimidate or endanger small children and their parents while we are exercising our rights to use the facilities the Council has set aside for our use.
...no, it's not a bad world. just a bad neighbourhood, some days. other days, it's lovely. today was one of the bad days. absolutely incredible statistic: in thirty years in the United States I called the police not once. Since moving to the most child-friendly place I know in London, I've called them twice in three months, both calls met thankfully with swift responses. thank goodness for the police. that's all i can think of, just now. eleven months to go on the lease. ...hopefully I will have good news to post before we leave. hoping. really, really hoping.
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