Too often parents get caught up with guilt, worry and blame.
Screaming toddlers in cafes grab headlines. Everyone gets a prize entitlement ruffles feathers. Too many special snowflakes to deal with in one generation.
“Older people like us worry about the future of the country and I’ve just spent weeks with a stack of eight to 13 year olds and I can tell you the country’s in great shape,” she says.
“These kids are kind, caring, astute and I’m having the time of my life,” she says.
The most important thing she wants parents to know is this: “You’re doing a great job”.
Chrissie is speaking about the filming of Channel Ten’s new show, The Great Australian Spelling Bee, which features 52 of Australia’s pre-teen super spellers tackling words like rhinoceros, pseudonym and manoeuvre.
Having seen a preview I agree. These little kids are not only smart but they support each other to a level I haven’t seen before. Rather than be competitive the kids encourage each other and even get upset if they win at the cost of their friend’s advancement in the competition. The whole show is uplifting… and made me a tad insecure considering these kids can rattle off words that send me diving for spellcheck.