A thing of the Past: The Communal Education

Going to Bed

Things generally are what you make of them. Putting a child to bed can be a time of angry exhaustion or of enjoyable intimacy. Some parents used to bring their children back to the children's houses a few minutes before lights-out or even after all the others had gone to bed and impatiently tried to hurry things along.

Others came half an hour early to give the child time to wind down,

and few things are more enjoyable and calming

than playing with your rubber duck in the bath ... or with your dolphin,

followed by a bit of mountaineering

and a rub down.

Brushing one's teeth, well, it has to be done, but it's another of those chores grown-ups invented.

And to finish the evening off a ripping tale of flowers and cute butterflies, or better still of knights and fire spitting dragons.

According to some survey I read a while ago, parents spend about a quarter of an hour of so-called "quality time" a day with their children. It's not quite that bad yet on a kibbutz, but we are getting there, slowly but surely. A pity, really.

June 2000

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