Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

ITALIAN mums out there - franca etc

846 replies

eastend · 11/02/2007 22:10

DS is sick, what would a good Italian mum cook for him? First time he is properly sick, I need to cook him something, even if he might not eat it...

OP posts:
franca70 · 18/05/2007 20:07
Smile
PippiLangstrump · 18/05/2007 21:30

of course! wow! it seems we might need a couple of weeks...

like I said, don't know much about schools in It

PippiLangstrump · 18/05/2007 21:30

of course! wow! it seems we might need a couple of weeks...

like I said, don't know much about schools in It

PippiLangstrump · 18/05/2007 21:30

of course! wow! it seems we might need a couple of weeks...

like I said, don't know much about schools in It

PippiLangstrump · 18/05/2007 21:30

of course! wow! it seems we might need a couple of weeks...

like I said, don't know much about schools in It

PippiLangstrump · 18/05/2007 21:36

... (continues) Italy but I know quite a lot about the 'precari' at work for what friend and family tell me and the situation is dreadful to say the least! It is beyond me how people do not revolt.

I have got highly qualified friends who graduated with '30 e lode' in 4 years, have an Ma, a 'dottorato' (PHD) loads of work experience and they are still working two jobs with 'contractoo di formazione' 12 years after graduating. and those are the super-qualified. I won't begin telling you about my mum looking for a job at 58 or my two brothers.

The difference with this country in that is stricking. How can you become independent from your family in Iatly I do not know and how can you build your future on such precarious jobs?

Any one has got some positive experiences (that do not involve 'essere raccomandati'?)

PS: I think we might lose the house - oh bugger!!!

mediterraneo · 18/05/2007 21:47

I find Italy a very unpleasant country from that point of view, the UK has loads of opportunities for people who have good qualifications, hence London is full of Italians and French people.
Pippi: how do you know you are losing the house? I cannot remember where you are moving to, you are in Stamford Hill no?

PippiLangstrump · 18/05/2007 21:58

yes. I am going to barnet. but the owner is playing up and I think we might have to pull out!`I hope not because I can see us already living there and growing IFSWIM.

keep your fingers crossed? where are you? east london?

franca70 · 18/05/2007 22:44

Where is Barnet?
I have a friend who graduated 12 yrs ago, did a phd (biology) in Geneva, is still a ricercatore at the Statale in Milano and earns 1300 euros a month. .
I also have friends who are doing very well (I'm not talking "city" money, just a good,decent salary), especially those with a degree in economics/medicine (though they work very hard) /engineering.
"raccomandati" usually work in the "comunicazioni" sector...

franca70 · 18/05/2007 22:45

Pippi, just read the other thread, I've never managed to finish delitto e castigo, I don't know why!

PippiLangstrump · 20/05/2007 08:35

franca re delitto e castigo: I know!!! and I have tried. I so want to know how it develops but cannot stick to it at all. I have read the brother karamazof and I loved it - it reminds me of a trip to scotland as I was reading it then and absessing my fellow traveller with it.

in perugia the raccomandati are of all sorts, especially lawyers (and I can say that with knowledge as most of my friend are!)

I don'tknow maybe it's worse in a small city or maybe you just know it more as you know everyone's business and also there are few jobs.

barnet is north london, zone 5 on the tube map.

PippiLangstrump · 20/05/2007 08:35

obsessing... even

franca70 · 20/05/2007 13:08

Yes, lawyers! Although I have friends who made it without raccomandazione. Others simply went to work nello studio del papa'/zio/nonno, etc.

PippiLangstrump · 20/05/2007 14:33

most of my friend are lawyers I meant, not raccomandati (although some are both!)

franca what's the story with hemingway??

franca70 · 20/05/2007 15:04

Don't know really. I started reading i 49 racconti when I was probably 14 (too young possibly), didn't like it and it also put me off from reading others. Although I liked the movie per chi suona la campana...

mediterraneo · 20/05/2007 16:55

A moveable Feast by Hemingway is fab, about Paris, read it when i lived in Paris and went to all the cafes and streets mentioned in it. Haven't been able to read anything else by him, his subjects are often fishing, hunting, la corrida, all very macho. I like the fact that his women have often men's names.

franca70 · 20/05/2007 19:00

I'm going to give it a try then

PippiLangstrump · 20/05/2007 20:04

franca70 please! do try if you liked 'la storia' you will like 'for whom the bell tolls' and more so 'farewell to arms'.

trust me: I did not get it at all at school and only read it a few years ago and thought what an idiot ato have waited so long.

I have read other of his work but some don't do for me, like with other authors not everything is good.

franca70 · 20/05/2007 21:13

ok, ok, I promise

PippiLangstrump · 20/05/2007 21:17

please tell me what do I do wrong with my DD and bedtime? she must cry evry single time when I get up to go, not for long admitedly but why does she cry??? I just do not get it! what's so horrible with going to bed?
we do all the 'buonanotte teddies', we read a story and she is happy all the way. it's only when I/DH leve the room that she becomes desperate.
how do you resolve it? I mean we leave her to it and 3 min later she stops and sleeps. but it hurts me to see her upset.
is it a phase?

Ellbell · 20/05/2007 21:28

Pippi... I leave the radio on for my dds (Classic FM, which is usually nice and calming...). They have a radio alarm clock, which has a 'sleep' function, so you can set it for 10/20/30/whatever minutes, and it then goes off. I've done this for years. Now that my dd1 reads to herself (she's 7) at night, she knows she's allowed to read till the music stops and then she has to go to sleep and it works for that too.

I'm going to sound cruel and hard-hearted now, but I'd say that if she is only crying for a few minutes and then going to sleep, that she's not really seriously distressed (because if she was, she'd cry more and more and wake herself up, rather than going to sleep). It's probably more that she loves having you there with her and doing the whole snuggly thing and it's a bit of a wrench when you get up to go. I'd ignore it as much as possible, try to be really matter of fact, and just go. You could say something like, 'I have to go now, but I'll be just downstairs' or something reassuring, but then just leave the room.

It is horrible though [sympathy]. Dd2 did it when I left her at nursery for a while (even though she was happy as anything once I'd gone) and I used to feel sick walking away from her. But hanging around for longer does honestly make it worse.

Ellbell · 20/05/2007 21:28

Pippi... I leave the radio on for my dds (Classic FM, which is usually nice and calming...). They have a radio alarm clock, which has a 'sleep' function, so you can set it for 10/20/30/whatever minutes, and it then goes off. I've done this for years. Now that my dd1 reads to herself (she's 7) at night, she knows she's allowed to read till the music stops and then she has to go to sleep and it works for that too.

I'm going to sound cruel and hard-hearted now, but I'd say that if she is only crying for a few minutes and then going to sleep, that she's not really seriously distressed (because if she was, she'd cry more and more and wake herself up, rather than going to sleep). It's probably more that she loves having you there with her and doing the whole snuggly thing and it's a bit of a wrench when you get up to go. I'd ignore it as much as possible, try to be really matter of fact, and just go. You could say something like, 'I have to go now, but I'll be just downstairs' or something reassuring, but then just leave the room.

It is horrible though [sympathy]. Dd2 did it when I left her at nursery for a while (even though she was happy as anything once I'd gone) and I used to feel sick walking away from her. But hanging around for longer does honestly make it worse.

Ellbell · 20/05/2007 21:31

Oops, sorry for double post. My computer does that sometimes.

Pippi - I forgot to say that the 'Heraclitus' poem is lovely. I hope your dh is OK.

PippiLangstrump · 20/05/2007 21:36

Ellbell thanks. I do exactly like you say though: radio on with italian children songs that she loves(pinocchio - tre porcellini - la vecchia fattoria etc), and I am VERY matter of fact with her so i do go and that's it! and like you say I KNOW she is not really distressed because she soon goes off (I guess when she realises that I am serious!). I know behind it all is that she rather be there with us but why ... when normally she is not like that (she never once cried when I live her with the childminder for example).

it is probably stupid of me to try to reason it too much (she is only a little girl) but I would like her to be happy to go to bed - it is a lovely thing (maybe she'll appreciate it when she has kids herself )

PippiLangstrump · 20/05/2007 21:38

thanks for the poem. I really liked your suggestions too - def similar to what I had in mind but when I saw that one it really summed up my feelings for my FIL. funeral tomorrow ...