Don't Worry Too Much

This is the time of year that our local shops run out of `worry beads’. There are only a few local shops that stock worry beads. Naturally many families have beads from their holidays to Greece and the Arab world. Trips to the attic are called for.


Adults and children alike find the passing of the smooth beads over their finger therapeutic and soothing.


I have scanned through the eleven plus regulations all over the country and have found no reference to a banning order on worry beads. This means that it looks as if it is perfectly safe for your child to take the worry beads into the examination rooms. In fact it may be as well to slip another set into your child’s pocket to offer to the teacher in the unlikely event of concern over the beads.


The boys could have beads cast in the colours of their favourite football teams.


The girls could have sets that match the colours of their mobile phones, ipods and laptop computers.


Mothers would have sets to match the covers of the files sent out at Christmas from their stock brokers.


A father could have a set to mach the colour of the slippers he received at Christmas.


Those of us who have observed a true devotee using the beads on a regular basis will have noted the dream like state they seem to enter. It is that feeling of serenity and detachment that we want our children to achieve. We will naturally need to refrain from trying to motivate our children with stirring words and over generous rewards. We will simply concentrate on keeping our `cool’.

No more words.

Just deeds.

Let the beads do the talking.