Monday 6 February 2012

Aquila magazine

A is big into magazines at the moment. I have a bit of time for Jacqueline Wilson magazine. Some of it is fluffy tosh, but there's a lot about writing in there, and A adores it. Moshi Monsters magazine is also OK, and one that she will sit with for a while. She also quite likes the RSPB's Bird Life magazine, but did once famously say "there's a little bit too much about birds in it." I dread to think if they ever do a customer survey. "What would you change about the magazine?" "Less about the birds, please".

Anyway, I am a sucker for trying new magazines. A friend mentioned Aquila a while back. When I looked at the website, it was a little bit "a magazine for your gifted child." It made me wrinkle up inside. I felt that it was a magazine aimed at parents whose facebook status is always something like: "So proud of Tarquin. He is now fluent in 12 different dead languages." Parents of kids who are "so clever they get bored at school and have to express themselves with their fists". I have an unspoken fear that I could turn into one of those parents. As I penned "I was wondering if you had any plans to move C up a level in his reading books, as he is finding these quite easy now", the voice in my head was mocking me. (DISCLAIMER 1: the occasional boast post is obviously a natural part of parenthood. DISCLAIMER 2: Of course there are bright kids who are bored at school. But instead of whacking other kids, clever kids should see it as a life lesson. Huge swathes of even really happy lives, where you have a great family and amazing job are really, really, really boring. School was useful training for me for deeply boring life experiences such as having a young baby, waiting in Specsavers and committee meetings).

However, they recently changed their selling tactic to "for kids who enjoy challenges". That sits much better with me. All kids should enjoy challenges. And not just the challenge of how to manage the Survival Endless in Plants vs Zombies when all of the extra plants cost 50 more sun for every new planting. Yes indeed. Challenges are good.

Anyway, I succumbed and ordered a subscription. The magazine arrived today. We are impressed. In fact, I am not convinced A is asleep yet. She likes the varied content and the unpatronising tone. So thumbs up. But if it starts making me excuse A's rare flashes of bad behaviour on her rampant creativity, please feel free to slap me.

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