The Child in Time Page #4

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Same. There's no-one else.

- Just me.

- Good. I mean, if, you're happy.

I know what you mean.

PHONE RINGS:

- Hello?

- It's me.

Er, question... what would you

say if I asked to stay the night?

- Not a good idea?

- Not really.

Well, what if I threw

myself in another puddle?

It seemed to make me

irresistible last time.

Still not a good idea.

Sorry.

Thought I'd ask. But you're right.

Is it always going to be like this...

between us?

Yes, of course it is.

It has to be.

Yes, it will always be like this.

But maybe that doesn't

have to be a bad thing.

A bad thing happened and

we've got to live with it.

Move on?

Is that possible?

Do we want to do that?

Still there?

Yeah, still here.

It was lovely to see you.

And you.

I'll call you.

Soon.

It has been shown, proven

that we use but a fraction

of our intellectual, emotional

and intuitive resource.

Now it's clear we get by on

very little of our grey matter.

Members of the committee,

we have undernourished our

- capacity for empathic...

- SPEECH FADES

... by forcing literacy on to children

between the ages of five and seven

we are shattering the unity

of the child's world view.

Madam Chairman, literacy should

not be introduced to a child

until the ages of 11 or 12,

corresponding with the brain's

natural and important surge...

11 or 12?

You're saying that we shouldn't

introduce the written word

- to children until they're 11 or 12?

- Correct.

That's... No, I don't

think that's correct.

That's most definitely incorrect.

(HE LAUGHS) Based on what evidence?

Well, experience.

An anecdote, then.

There have been trials in

Sweden that have proven...

Based on the joy of

a three-year-old child

when she almost writes her

name for the first time.

Or the joy of a four-year-old

when she picks words

or parts of words from

a sign or a poster,

which then in turn leads to the most

wonderful, wondrous conversations.

Or imagine the child

sitting on a parents' knee

when it's having a

story read aloud to it

and tracing all the words

on the page, quite wrongly,

and marvelling at those

meaningless black splodges,

which somehow enable closeness.

Bring...

... warmth, happiness and comfort and...

... ease the separation at night.

I suggest that you are

looking at the scenario

from the adult's perspective

and not the child's.

You can suggest what you

want, but I know what I saw

and I know how she felt, so...

that's how I know for certain that

you're talking complete bollocks.

What a brilliant way to

finish the day. Well done, you.

I wasn't too rude, was I?

Not at all.

And if you were, he deserved

it. I've never heard such tripe.

Could I treat you to a coffee?

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