To have got to the age of 37 and I'm learning things from a 9 year old?

[Gertrudeisgerman]

DS2 (9) has just told me why the sewer system was introduced. Previously, tap water from the Thames contained human waste so they introduced sewers. I had no idea. They are currently introducing a new sewer system in London too, which according to DS2 'looks nice but won't stay like that for long.'

Why am I learning this stuff from a 9 year old? AIBU to be masters level educated but know fuck all about basic stuff like this?

We live in Yorkshire. I don't know how the child knows so much about the Thames anyway.

[FrogsLegs31]

Potable water and treatment of wastewater is now on the science curriculum.
I'd assume that's why as I certainly didn't learn about it at school either!

[Gertrudeisgerman]

I have a MSc though Frogs you'd have thought it would have come up!

I have a feeling that all the worrying we do about screentime is taking away from the fact that children are still very good at learning.

[Janeinthemiddle]

We live in Yorkshire. I don't know how the child knows so much about the Thames anyway

Not sure what to say about that comment. Were you expecting him to only learn about Yorkshire?

[RubySparks]

When I was in primary school one of our day trips was to the local sewage works!

[Gertrudeisgerman]

No, of course I don't expect him only to learn about Yorkshire but I didn't expect him to know so much about the Thames.

I don't know why, I guess it's a pretty important piece of history. I wonder if this is where the sewerage system started? In London?

[moonlightmile]

I'm 34 and I learn things from my 8yo DDs every day! They learn so many things at school that I would never have known if they didn't teach me. It's quite impressive really!

[icy121]

I remember explaining the working stuff of a blast furnace to my grandma when I was about 14 and she told me her stepfather had been a blast furnace foreman in the 40s. She was agog! Ahh lovely memory to have ☺️

[Floisme]

I know what you mean. I used to worry about my son never reading books or newspapers till he explained the Middle East to me. I think he was 13. He's now 18 and he's just told us we shouldn't be keeping tomatoes in the fridge. He also said why but I've already forgotten.

[booellesmum]

Just wait 'til you have a 15yo doing gcse's.

[Gertrudeisgerman]

Ruby we went to Alton Towers for our school trips.

I remember watching Aunt Mabel on Come Outside go down the sewer. It actually looked cleaner down there than I anticipated.

[user789653241]

Maybe you learnt about it, but just don't remember?
I vaguely remember I learnt something about sewer system in primary, trip to waterworks etc., in primary.(Different country though.)

[Hulababy]

We've just been on holiday with friends and whilst there our 9y godson was educating us all. He's like a little sponge for history and was so knowledgable about Romans and roman mythology (his topic at school recently) - he taught all four of us adults plus the two teen girls there lots of facts we didn't know.

Children take in so much. Hopefully they can retain a lot of it.

[allegretto]

I did Social and Economic history for GCSE so we did a lot about infrastructure and I still find it fascinating. Not sure what you thought sewers were for before though!

[Gertrudeisgerman]

Floisme please can you find out? I always put my tomatoes in the fridge.

[TittyGolightly]

I have a MSc though Frogs you'd have thought it would have come up!

Depends on the subject, surely? If it's psychology, then I wouldn't expect London sewers to feature.

[TittyGolightly]

It's due to a chemical they give off and the impact on other foods.

[CrazedZombie]

Ds (10) is a grammar ninja compared to his older siblings and me. I thought I was fine as I knew noun/proper noun/adjective/adverb/verb and conjunction but he knows way more than that.

[MDFalco]

I wonder if this is where the sewerage system started? In London?
Didn't the Ancient Romans build sewage systems that are still working? When I was in Segovia, Spain, they celebrated something liked 1800 years since the aqueduct's construction and, it was still capable of carrying water.

[Floisme]

Gertrude I'll ask him again when he gets up. It may be a few hours.

[Ferrisday]

They learn different things in different ways.
I'm enjoying learning all over again from my 9 year old.
I won't be when his maths overtakes my level ☹️️

[Floisme]

Ah thanks Titty

[SnugglySnerd]

We've been trying to calm a crying baby for the last hour. Put him in his bouncy chair to make up a bottle and our 3yo gently rocked and sang him to sleep. She is much better at it than me!

[Gertrudeisgerman]

The ancient romans had sewerage systems? I'm on a self imposed google ban so I'll have to go to the reference library to look this stuff up.

I think we will have been taught a lot of stuff like this but if you don't retain it, then...that's too depresssing to contemplate.

[treaclesoda]

My five year old is much better than I am at identifying plants and trees etc. Every time I ask him 'how do you know that?' he says he learnt it in school. I have no recollection of ever learning stuff like that in school, but who knows, maybe I did and it's just so long ago that I've forgotten? I vaguely remember learning about hips and haws and the teacher bringing in the berries for us to look at, but that is all I can remember about identifying plants!

[StorminaBcup]

I have an MSc too (if that matters) and I've learnt loads from Do You Know and Nina and the Neurons! (C-Beebies, DS is 3!).

Just goes to show, you never stop learning