Backward Children

When did “prams” and “push-chairs” change direction?

Nowadays the vast majority of children are pushed along our busy pavements with the child looking front-wards..

It must be a strange experience, bowling along in your pram, push-chair, or “buggy”as they are now called, into a mass of on-coming strangers of all shapes and sizes. Even worse if there’s
a cold wind blowing, with no protection except 15 layers of wrapping

And the kids, who haven’t got eyes in the back of their heads, must wonder how in the devil they are being propelled and who is doing it. Their mother started off as the pilot, but after many stops – mainly to chat to other buggy drivers. – anyone could have taken over. They might have been swopped!

Perhaps the screaming youngster we see in buggies are not having tantrums, but are trying to yell, “will whoever’s driving this damn thing get me home as soon as possible!” Especially if they are being pushed into the teeth of a force 8 gale.

When I was a nipper I was pushed along the pavements looking back at the pusher – generally my mother. I was protected from the wind, knew where the power was coming from, had eye to eye contact. and felt secure. And if I had a runny nose the pusher would see it, bend over and wipe it for me..

PS I had cause to be pushed in a wheel-chair at Heathrow last week. I wouldn’t have liked to be pushed backwards, so perhaps today’s mothers know what they are doing. On the other hand there is no wind in terminal 3 and I can wipe my own nose nowadays.