the
end of all this. When Kunta Kinte' s initiation ceremony(接纳仪式)is over, his father puts a tribal leather pouch around his neck as a token of his
new status. They look into cach other's eyes for a brief moment, full of pride
a Similarly, I had hoped the sense of achievement Fred felt at completing the
hallenges would be enough. Silly me. This is a child of a generation used
to getting sweets between every layer of passthe parcel". Children are given
certificates for completing spot-the-teddy treasure hunts, football trophies
just for being in the team. "What I'd really like, "he tells me. sis if you took
me to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Should I? I'm not sure
R But there have been pay-offs already. He plays the piano a lot these days, cuts
the grass and we know we can ask him to make dinner if we are too busy
Now when he goes to stay with his grandparents 100 miles away, instead of
sonal handover of child, clothes and cuddly toy at a service station half
S I also think he has learned that effort leads to reward, that he can do what
ever he puts his mind to, that it is worth feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
hat we trust him to do stuff he thought we might not, that being in your own
company is just fine -and that life is full of possibility and playfulness if
you want it to be
"When I'm 18, "he said the other day, "Do you think you could set me some
sort of treasure hunt around Europe?
