Talking to kids.


It's one of those things. Some people know how to talk to kids while others flail
Around helplessly either talking down to them or assuming that they are in fact miniature adults. Now I'm pretty okay with it, I'm no expert but I've enough experience around children to not bother trying to talk to a 10 year old about politics. To be fair, you are unlikely to catch me talking to anyone about politics but you know what I mean.

In work today I had arranged for an Irish writer to come In and do a reading from his book to a group of fifth and sixth class boys. Most people would know that 
Is 11 and 12 year olds and tailor things accordingly but this writer may not have encountered a child before or at least that's the impression I got from listening to the reading. The book he was promoting was loosely based on a ship that was torpedoed during the world war ( can't remember was World War One or two but that's okay because that's not essential to the story) and is told from the view point of a young boy who had stowed away on the ship . Now like I said , I'm not an expert but I would have to question discussing the psychological factors of surviving a tragedy with 12 year 
Olds as they all look blankly on. I'm certain most of it went over their heads as he rabbeted on about how difficult it is to research a book and the political climate in Ireland during the world war. 
I was tempted to stop and check he actually knew these were kids and not adult dwarves in school uniforms. 

Naturally they were all delighted to have the hour out of school and not be stuck in a classroom for a change but I'm not sure if it will do anything to boost the sales of his book. He only read a page of it and I must say after the hour, had I not already known ,I would have been hard pushed to say what it was actually about.

Upon leaving he kissed my cheek and told me how delighted he was to have met me ( um thanks) and then said it was a Shame he had a train to catch and I was working because otherwise we could have gone drinking wine for the afternoon so that was a little strange and fortunately I got to smile politely as he hurried to his train rather than explaining to a man at least twenty years older than me that, that was actually a little creepy. Perhaps he could also use some guidance talking to adults 




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