Andy’s Thought Dump

I need to get something off my chest, and I know I'm not the only parent feeling this rage. Every day, when I drive my kids between Tredegar and Ebbw Vale from Ebbw Fawr Comprehensive to Deighton Primary I witness some of the most baffling and frankly dangerous driving habits imaginable. We are talking about driving in Gwent, in conditions that demand absolute focus and visibility, yet some people seem determined to risk their own lives and the lives of others. The Great Darkness Conspiracy It’s currently winter. That means thick fog, heavy rain, and dark mornings or rapidly darkening afternoons. So why, in the name of road safety, are people driving around with NO LIGHTS ON ? It is simply astounding. We are talking about conditions where a car is almost invisible, yet these drivers cruise along with zero regard for their surroundings. It is beyond negligence; it is willfully ignorant. Your car has headlights and sidelights for a reason: to see and be seen. Indicators Are Not Opti...

Parenting has never been easy. But lately, I’ve started to wonder: have some people just given up entirely? There’s a difference between bringing children up and letting them grow up wild, and right now, it feels like too many kids are being dragged up without discipline, accountability, or even a hint of respect for others. It’s not about being perfect. We all struggle, we all get it wrong sometimes. But when you refuse to even try to do the right thing - when you defend your child’s worst behaviour instead of confronting it - that’s when I worry. Recently, my own son, who has already been through far more than any child should due to early childhood trauma, was attacked. Not by some nameless group of troublemakers - though that would have been bad enough - but by a group of girls. One of them, heartbreakingly, was my own daughter. There’s no hiding from that. No sugarcoating it. As parents, my partner and I have dealt with it. Heavily. Because we will not tolerate bad behaviour,...