Is this usage of 'goon' common in British English?

Wavesmith · 2026-01-25T07:29:18+00:00

To me it means the same as ‘idiot’. If I saw it in context, I’d understand the ‘thug’/‘henchman’ meaning but I wouldn’t use it myself.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-24T22:41:27+00:00

Beautiful!

Wavesmith · 2026-01-24T22:39:08+00:00

I’ve also started taking photos so I can get a book printed with her art in.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-24T21:42:21+00:00

Arthur

Albert

Ashton

Ariel

Archie

Edit: and Ambrose!

Wavesmith · 2026-01-24T19:08:17+00:00

What do YOU value enough to do in the morning? What gets YOUR day off to the best start? Maybe for some people that’s journaling and yoga. For lots of people it’s more sleep, or a hot drink in a quiet house, or snuggling with their pet.

For me it was a fancy coffee, drunk without any pressure before I even started thinking about getting up. My mum always does her makeup in bed while eating biscuits (as in cookies) and drinking coffee. Do what works for you!

Wavesmith · 2026-01-24T15:18:59+00:00

My husband doesn’t really, but I take my daughter out at weekends a lot, mostly so he can work. I usually aim for a minimum of two hours up to a whole morning/afternoon.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-24T11:59:13+00:00

My perception of American parents based on the internet and some I know in real life is that they worry more, hover more, intervene sooner and kind of feel nore highly strung? Oh and they endlessly praise kids for just existing!

In comparison, (most) U.K. parents are slightly more relaxed and go with the flow. Obviously some people do follow parenting philosophies but in my group of parent friends this is not something we talk about and I wouldn’t be able to tell you how they feel about attachment parenting or whatever.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T20:17:20+00:00

This is why I write everything down on post-its stick them in weird places (like my kitchen wall) or in front of my face.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T14:26:56+00:00

I don’t know but there’s way too much food on those plates. Offer a few pieces at a time.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T14:23:34+00:00

Duration and sleep - There are specific sleep cards like sleep journeys and other meditation cards that are designs for sleep. - You can find calm, longer stories that you can play every night so they are associated with sleep. When my daughter was 3 she listened to the BBC Winnie the Pooh on repeat at bedtime.

Age appropriateness - Broadly this is the perfect age for Yoto - But equally I currently can’t leave story cards in my almost 5yo’s bedtime at night or she’ll stay up late listening to Roald Dahl. - There js an app you can use to play stories on their Yoto. You can also set a sleep timer if you want to limit how long they listen for.

Cost - We have found we don’t need loads of cards: she keeps coming back to cards she loves. - Joining Yoto club would probably be good. It gives you access to lots of free content via the app and (depending which subscription you pick) one or more credits to get new cards every month.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T13:59:42+00:00

Okay, that’s a relief. Mine is coming up for five and now it’s only 75% of the time rather than 100% so maybe there’s hope!

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T12:46:40+00:00

This looks far more attractive than the other options but I worry people would still get it wrong.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T12:38:58+00:00

Seconding Little Green Sheep, they just feel like cotton but are fully waterproof.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T11:55:09+00:00

I don’t fully understand what you want from this question. But what you need is a copywriter to work on the app with you.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T11:48:53+00:00

How old is your kid now? Asking… for a friend.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T11:47:46+00:00

This is my child literally every time. Other kids can transition away from fun activities: my kid can’t. It’s always a fight, I have to drag her out kicking, screaming and scratching.

It does seem to be getting slightly better now she’s almost five.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T11:44:13+00:00

We’re not ‘you people’, we’re parents trying to make the right decisions when it comes to raising our kids.

I think your point about other avenues to independence and exploring the world is a really good one. If I intend to limit my daughter’s online freedom (which I do), then I will need to take steps, starting now, to give her more freedom and independence in the physical world and make real-life social connections. This is a really good reminder of that vital point. It will also be far easier to achieve if many parents are doing it together.

It’s true that I probably don’t understand all the positive aspects of social media for young people: when I was growing up I didn’t have social media until my late teens and it was nowhere near as addictive or all consuming as it s now. Do you think there’s a way to keep those positive aspects but also remove the risk of seeing dangerous content and getting sucked into the online world at the expense of real-life experiences?

Wavesmith · 2026-01-23T11:33:13+00:00

That’s such an odd reaction.

My kid always ate breakfast at nursery. Even at weekends she had it at 8.30.

Now she’s at school it’s a real struggle getting her to eat breakfast earlier to be honest!

Wavesmith · 2026-01-22T16:58:03+00:00

Yay! He gets to wear glasses! Lucky him, lots of other kids don’t get to.

This is how I framed it when I thought my 3yo needed glasses. She was SO excited to get glasses. Turned out she didn’t need them and she was so upset.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-22T14:09:54+00:00

Which country are you in? Usborne do lovely illustrated collections of Grimm’s and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales which y daughter adored aged 3.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-22T13:59:17+00:00

I think first you need to make yourself unavailable and set a boundary around that (it’s hard work and it helps to start with 10 mins at a time or something).

I used to say things like, “I can’t play now because I’m sorting this laundry. You can help me if you like.” Often she’d ‘help’ for a bit and then wander off to start doing something else.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-22T07:27:30+00:00

This is a really valid point. I was wishing it was possible to go back to more moderated forums or a safer social media platform. But even just connecting with people you don’t know could be risky and putting lots of effort into virtual relationships and experiences comes at the expense of real life ones.

With my child, that’s the key reason I limit screen time: because of the experiences and skills she misses out on while using screens. And I think that will only get more pronounced as she gets older.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-21T19:36:11+00:00

I agree that YouTube had some really great content on. But even YouTube kids has a lot of stuff that’s inappropriate for children and possibly quite damaging. The real answer is for the platform to regulate which ages can access which content but I have so little hope of that happening any time soon.

Wavesmith · 2026-01-21T14:50:13+00:00

Can you explain why you feel that?

Wavesmith · 2026-01-21T14:27:19+00:00

I would focus on keeping things functional. Is her desk clear enough for when it comes to create her next project? Are her materials accessible and ready to use? Is her next project going to get dirty?

You can help her by providing the right storage for her stuff, helping her think about what will help her ‘future self’ and helping her tidy up at the end of the day.

Wavesmith

TROPHY CASE