Helicopter Mum alert...

I've tried not to be but I finally realised that.... I'M A HELICOPTER MUM AND PROUD OF IT!!!

Sorry, just had to get that out. I'm not that bad normally and try not to interfere too much in my kids lives - when they're having problems with friends I just try to talk it through and give them ammunition help to get through it.

And every now and then I'll stand in their corner if their teacher needs to know how they feel they're getting on in school.

When I was younger I didn't have that sort of communicative relationship with my parents but I want my kids to know that I'm there for them, not having to sort things out by themselves like I had to.

But today I felt like knocking a few 8 year old heads together. GIRLS!!!! They can be right little horrors at this age and it is really, really hard to stand back and not do anything.

Miss Bucket is a solid friend, she doesn't have a best friend but likes lots of people all the same. She's grown up with a group of girls from Nursery age and is always there for them when they fall out, argue, playing by themselves etc.

Tonight was a film night at school and Miss Bucket got there a little late. All her friends knew that she was going and yet none of them thought to save her a seat.

I was standing outside and I could have cried when I saw the disappointment on her face and how she tried to cover it up. I really wanted to jump in there, give her a hug and bang some heads. I don't think they were being mean, just thoughtless. If it had been the other way round, she would have waited and saved seats for all her friends so noone was left out.

Maybe it's just the way she's been brought up, maybe she's just a nicer person and thinks of others, maybe... Just thinking about it makes me tear up again.

I'm very proud of my kids and, at this moment, especially of Miss Bucket. I know that eventually she'll need to sort things out herself but for the moment I'm going to keep hovering behind her.
Sam xx