Janet Christie's Mum's the Word - old mothers and Young Fathers and why age is immaterial in my view

In my view, age is immaterial, it’s the experience that counts

Friday lunchtime and I’m on a power walk to grab some daylight exposure when a couple of kids, recently released from school, belt past me, one deliberately tapping me as he goes. All good, I had three feral young ‘uns myself so I smile indulgently and remember how Edinburgh schools’ early weekend closing used to throw me as a working parent when they were pupils.

Add strikes and Covid to the mix, and I sympathise with those who bear the brunt - usually women. It’s a pity, as the Covid enquiry has revealed, that those who make the decisions were wilfully oblivious to a female viewpoint, especially given the preponderance of women working in the health service, care sector, schools and doing the brunt of caring. If women were listened to more, maybe lives might have been saved.

Back on the path, reaching their mums walking ahead, the child who ‘tapped’ me announces that the other had ‘just hit an old lady’.

“What? No!” say the mothers in unison and turn, immediately surmising that the offence here may be caused by the ‘old lady’ reference, not the ‘hitting’ or blaming his mate.

“Did he just call you an old lady?” says one.

“Well yes,” I say, “but to him I am, don’t worry about it.”

“If it’s any consolation, he calls a 21-year-old we know old. Very sorry,” she says and we smile.

Old, young, it’s all the same to me and I find things just get better as the years pile up. I like the same things I always did but there’s an added pleasure endowed by experience, for example watching Young Fathers with Dundee Woman at The Barrowland and appreciating how the decor hasn’t changed since I saw The Ramones. Classy.

We’d vowed during lockdown if we ever got out again we’d see more gigs, and we have, kicking off with The Stranglers, which coincided with me catching Covid but never mind (it could have been on the train or in the pub), and I’d wanted to revisit The Barrowland and its bouncy floor.

“You were at Young Fathers?” says Youngest, proving she never listens. “My friend saw them in Edinburgh, went backstage, met the band…”

Hmph.

“And the funny thing was, when he said Young Fathers, three of us went, ‘Young Fathers, my mum LOVES them!”

“And?”

“And nothing.”

Wow.

Mum’s the Word – Why just being there counts