Sarah Burton is a fashion God

While on the notion of Autumn/Winter...

I absolutely fell in love with Alexander McQueen's ready to wear Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. Surprisingly for me it was the flurry of luxourious winter white pieces that lured me in. White naturally juxtaposes autumnal colours; it brings purity to a maturing period of oranges, browns and copper tones. But it just worked, too well. The oversized fur stoles Burton designed partner perfectly with the beautifully constructed embellished fabrics. Everything about the collection is caped in inoffensive excess. The clothing bleeds luxury and you can't help but want to wear every piece you see. 

I think high street stores would be out of their minds not to take note of this creation...

Pictures from http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2012/ready-to-wear/alexander-mcqueen#

For the love of Autumn

I'm not really big on summer myself. I know, I know, you think I'm weird. But I'm pretty certain I'm not alone. Summer, for some, is a dreaded season. Hot weather, thus bare legs, minimal clothing... everything out there for the ever so scrutinising world to see. This, fortunately, isn't the reason for me not being the biggest fan - even though I truly am an english rose myself. 

I don't fear minimal clothing, I just dislike it. Call me conservative, call me whatever, but I like clothing. I like layers. They make me feel safe. Autumn and Winter spell an abundance of fashion options, whereas I find summer pretty repetitive. How many times can we alter denim shorts to make them as interesting as last year's collection, really? We've seen patterns printed on them, studs, freys, tye-dye. Seriously, what's next?

Winter used to be my favourite season. The very word, 'winter', itself conjures up images of chunky fairisle jumpers, my cat spread out in front of a warming fire and a Christmas spent like Wham's video, Last Christmas. I see warmth, love and happiness. Everyone is just that bit closer in winter, or at least I like to think so. I always think winter's my favourite month, but in retrospect unless I am wrapped up in a million layers, I shiver and moan. (In my defence I do think my skin is quite thin though, because I still feel the cold on a summer's day if I am caught under the shade for too long.)

So upon having this epitome, I discovered Autumn is the perfect season for me. I love Spring, but I guess the way the British summer season is so hit and miss, as in noone ever really knows when it's going to arrive or even if it's going to arrive, it's difficult to know what pieces to invest in. Personally I love light knits, but if summer approaches us as quick as in April then I know I'll get little to no use out of my spring wear. Oh, the problems we face. Autumn however is a totally different ball game. It's the season God has given us to prepare for Winter, the warm up some may think. Start stocking up on lip balms, moisturisers and deep conditioning treatments like it's going out of fashion, because you know the cold is coming. It creeps up on you like a shadow, but it'll wreck havoc with your skin and hair before you know it.

Autumn, in comparison to Winter, conjures up conkers, thick homemade soups with chunky fresh bread, crisp leaves and fireworks. It's such a warming season, and I think there's something quite beautiful about, what is effectively the maturing period of a year. Autumnal colours are ideal for everyone alike; you have options. If you're body conscious, browns and blacks cover lumps and bumps perfectly. And if you want to make a statement, golds and coppers add to the luxe feel.

Granted Autumn is an inbetween period situated between Spring/minimal clothing and Winter/heavy clothing, but it's the perfect season to start layering. Layering allows you to mix patterns, textures, shapes and pretty much anything you like. Go as bold as you want, or, stick to autumnal shades and add glamour to outfits with key accessories. The best thing about layering is that if you're hot, take some off and vice versa for being cold. There's no reason to not be a perfect temperature, and thus a happy human. 

I'm already on the look out for my key Autumn/Winter 2012 investement pieces. Top of my list are ideally a nice fur gilet (courtesy of Alexander McQueen's ready to wear show), fairisle and motif jumpers, riding boots, a fur stole (please!) and cable knit sweaters. I hate to wish life away because it goes far too fast as it is, but I look forward to the fashion that comes our way this Autumn/Winter. For now, I'm still waiting on summer. 

Hurry up please.

"I am a tax payer, therefore I am moral", or so the politicians say.

What was the best, quickest and most entertaining way for David Cameron to take the focus off of his poor Leveson Inquiry performance? None other than to shamefully expose and scrutinise celebrity tax avoiders. Are you forgetting Cammy that half your government probably avoid them too?

David Cameron, it would appear, has been unrelenting and ruthless as of late in his public speeches. Just this week Cameron launched an explosive attack on Jimmy Carr branding Carr "morally questionable" for using one of the many tax avoidance companies available to the wealthy.  

Cameron has successfully opened a can of worms however, which I'm certain is to backfire on him, for now the doors are wide open for the rest of the Tory party to be scrutinised and heavily investigated. I'd be quivering right now if I were one of those. What's even more entertaining is that it has come to light that Cameron's father-in-law too has used "blatant" tax avoidance schemes. So, I guess the question really is, why did Cameron feel it right to single out one person and scrutinise them? It's scapegoating at its most obvious form.  

If you remember correctly it wasn't so long ago that MPs were at the forefront of the expenses scandal, in which they were wrongfully claiming thousands of expenses. To reiterate Cameron's words, "blatant fraud", one might say. 

After studying a political philosophy module this year, I began reading about "the state" and the nature of it. It is really interesting to look at the history of the state, for it is used to justify how and why it operates today in the way that it does. I.e. by having a democracy. Effectively, looking at the "nature" of the state involved analysing how the state, or society, came to exist. It looked at who first decided upon the designation of property and who decided upon a system of taxes. 

Personally speaking, I consider myself to be a moralistic individual. I am not saying I have never told a white lie but, in terms of theft, I can honestly say I would never steal. That's immoral behaviour, as I am sure you would agree. But the thing is, is that I am not all that certain that paying taxes is key to moral behaviour. Tax as far as I am concerned is, a political obligation, not a moral one. In Johnathan Wolff's book, An Introduction to Political Philosophy, Wolff sums up 'political obligations' in the most concise manner I could think of. "Political obligation is the obligation to obey each law because it is the law, and not necessarily because we think it has some independent moral justification". 

Some may argue that what the law requires them to do, i.e. pay their taxes, is morally wrong - for tax money is perhaps utilised to immoral ends in certain cases, for example, in the creation of weapons of mass destruction. Thus, paying taxes in said situation is morally reprehensible. But there's this underlying obligation to pay taxes, because that makes us morally worthy, right? However no one signs a form or contract agreeing to consent to the state, we are assumed to comply from birth. Taxes are in this sense, perhaps assumed to be hypothetically consented to. Of course the state wouldn't work if everyone utilised tax avoidance schemes, but I question how many people would genuinely pay all of their taxes if they were offered an easy route to effectively "opt out". It's the same situation as those that do odd jobs for cash in hand. If one is to listen to Cameron fundamentally, those actions are too morally questionable, for you have not declared the cash to the state. Alas, you have little option but to be publically shamed, to go to prison and pay your debts to society. 

Let us not forget we are in the brunt of a double dip recession, and money easily translates into emotion. Those who struggle with payments but still pay their tax resent the wealthy that avoid it, but the wealthy who pay their taxes resent paying such a high rate of tax that may be put towards benefit "scroungers", for example. It's a contentious circular argument which is hard to settle. 

Cameron's speech angered me, for he scrutinised Carr in such a focused and playground bully style manner. It's picking a person out of a pool of avoiders and publically shaming solely one individual. And the reason I disagree that tax paying makes one morally praiseworthy is for it is not society whom decided upon this settlement, but an economically driven government.

Top Gear, top show

 I'm a girl, and I am a serious fan of Top Gear. And I think it's safe to say it's probably the only car show I'll ever be interested in.

I love that Britain has finally made a show the world want to mimmick that will never live up to standards in any other format. It's like a secret recipe, and if the BBC had just been able to bottle it, it'd be priceless. 

Quite frankly the show would fail to suceed, let alone work without Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. They are the perfect trio of presenters, each with a distinct personality and an undeniable chemistry, bonded together by comedy. You've got Clarkson, the bolshy over-confident alpha male leader of the pack. His word goes. Then there's Hamilton, the short one of the three whose evident passion for cars makes up for what he lacks vertically. And then there's May. The sweet, perceived to be dopey presenter who, even though he always gets the short straws car wise, you just can't help but fall in love with. Which is probably the reason why Clarkson and Hamilton pick on him consistently and without fail in every episode.

The challenges they do are just out of this world. And that's what appeals to us. Many will never get the opportunity to drive the cars they do, let alone in the locations they do. Imagine pushing your car to the limit in an adrenaline fuelled drive along Yungas Road in Bolivia, a road known as 'death road' due to its narrowness and sheer drops. Or creating a road worthy vehicle to successfully cross the English Channel, which if you didn't realise is 25 miles of sea. Or being able to laugh at how much the police spend on cars, without getting arrested. We all wish we had the power to do these things. 

Clarkson, Hammond and May are untouchable when it comes to making harsh facts about the motor industry, but remain highly respected in both their careers and their opinions alike. Together the trio have seen such vast and awe-inspiring parts of the world, and quite rightly who wouldn't be jealous of them for it?

The Hunger Games: A gripping trilogy

So the other day I told you about how I accomplished my reading of 3-and-a-bit books in the past month. I am pleased to share with you that whilst I was away lapping up the sunshine and cocktails on holiday in Porto Santo, I finally got round to reading Suzanne Collins' bestseller books, The Hunger Games. 

Unfortunately for me I only had the first two books to hand, but I didn't expect to read so much if I'm honest. It was like my Twilight affair from yesteryears all over again. It was immediately a case of me questioning why on earth I didn't get round to reading them sooner. I was obsessed. 

*SPOILER ALERT*

A really brief outline is that it's a dystopian book set in the future, in a place called Panem which was once known as North America. It is ruled by the "Capitol", which we learn is a callous and sick dictatorship ruled by President Snow. There are twelve districts surrounding the Capitol, each focusing on a different trade such as mining or agriculture. Once every year there is a live televised event which picks two 'tributes' (candidates) from each of the twelve districts, in which they are then forced to fight to death. The capitol call it a pageant, but it's far from that. The only rule is that there can only be one survivor. So it's bitter sweet to learn that the hopeful protagonist Katniss Everdeen is made publicly aware of her partner tribute's feelings towards her. It's love. Which makes the book even more gripping and potentially heartbreaking.

Collins has most definitely created a page turner book. Each of the two books took me two days in total to read. That's a record for me. I couldn't help but wonder why I liked the books so much though. Because when you consider the storyline, it's gross and sadistic. But after some serious pondering, isn't the whole of mankind that way? We ridicule people under spotlights, just look at our current versions of reality TV. Big Brother, for example. People are laughed at, we force them to fight with claws out to get the winning prize. The only difference being that prizes in current times are now promised fame, as opposed to the gift of your life being spared. 

I read an article in a magazine recently which spoke of advice for amateur budding novelists about how to get noticed and how to write a best selling novel. They said to find an author whose style and technique you like, and to attempt to mimick it in your own book. With that in mind, while reading THG I questioned who Suzanne Collin's wrote like, and almost immediately I found a likeness to Stephenie Meyer. So it was no surprise to see that Meyer wrote a review which features on front page of the second book.

Similarity #1: They both have written hugely successful teen trilogies.
Similarity #2: The love triangle. Gale's character bears a striking resemblance to Jacob, the good looking best friend whom the female protagonist never sees "in that way". But there's clearly denied chemistry. Hello Katniss Everdeen, or should I say Bella Swan. The mysterious heroic girl who keeps herself to herself. The budding beauty who doesn't realise her power. And then there's Peeta, the Edward of this trilogy. Good looking, smooth and has a way with words. It's all there.

If you're looking for a gripping read, then look no further.

Hooked on Revenge

I saw the adverts. I saw the teaser trailers and, truthfully, I wasn't all that impressed. I'm all for cheesy American sitcoms, as you all know, but Revenge seemed to push the boat too far this time. It's grotesquely cliché, but will we ever get bored of US dramas focusing on the rich elite? Probably not.

So to my surprise I somehow ended up spending Father's day night watching 3 episodes simultaneously. That's 120 minutes worth of viewing time. Happy Father's day, dad. He loved it though, truth be told we all did. The best part? Finding out it airs every Monday night. I'm anticipating this week's episode tonight, and at least I now have something to make up for the Monday evening gap Made In Chelsea has created.

Revenge as the title suggests, focuses on, er, revenge. Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), centre of the above picture, arrives at The Hamptons with an agenda to destroy the lives of a rich family that ruined her father. 

The series looks like it's set to get really interesting, it's a hit in America if that's anything to go by. Granted the pilot episode has a lot to inform the viewer of, so it was never going to be smoothest of first episodes. I think the worst part was just how fake The Hamptons looked. And to an extent, the acting too. Did they film it all in a studio and photoshop in the surroundings? I'll be frank with you, after three episodes, I still don't know the answer to that one.

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it's the best show you'll ever watch, but if you've ever watched the likes of Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, 90210 and so on, then I think you might just fall in love with this far fetched little drama series. 

I heart Lana Del Rey

I've never really paid much attention to music. Don't get me wrong - I listen to it obviously, but if someone asks me who my favourite artist is, I simply stumble. How on earth, out of every musician in the world can you have a single favourite? That's my thinking. But I have to admit, I've been more than a little bit hooked on this one album since early March now. And it's June 16th. So I guess I've started a love affair with Lana Del Rey's album, Born to Die. Anyone who claims to dislike it, well I say you just haven't listened to it enough. Lana has this really unique and appealing voice, it's as if she drags me into the stories she sings and I'm gone. 

Not only am I hooked on the album, I think I might have developed a girl crush on her. It's hard to explain why I like her so much. I would compare her to Zooey Deschanel's character Summer in (500) Days of Summer. Effortless, insouciant and cool. It's like she doesn't even try, she just naturally pulls off every look she tries. The type of girl most girls like to hate because of that very fact. And to top it all off she is Mulberry's newest muse, alongside Alexa Chung. Not many people get a bag named after them so early on in their careers, so I guess if you have always dreamed of that very scenario, then she could be an inspiration to you. 

My favourite song off of the album is Million Dollar Man. The lyrics are b-eautiful.  Unfortunately she is yet to make a music video for this, but here is her singing it live... Even better! Enjoy!

My dad really is the greatest.

This is me and my oh so lovely family.

It's Father's Day tomorrow and unfortunately I have to work. I have always held a Sunday job since the age of 16, and I'm now at the ripe old age of 19. So that's a lot of Father's Days and Mother's Days that I've missed out on. But, beggars cannot be choosers and work is a commitment. I have to say I do look forward to the day when I get to spend the day with them again because I think life is really quite short, and not to mention unexpected, so family time is important to me.

Seeing as I have my own blog and I can write just about whatever I want (within reason, because I would never be blasphemous or intentionally rude of course) I would just like to say:

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DADDY :)

Because I do not like to favour one parent over the other, I'll quickly get it out of the way and say that my mum will get her message on Mother's Day, so hold tight for a year or so okay. But, I would just like to say a huuuuge thank you to my dad for looking out for me for the past 19 years. You have always stuck by me (as has mum) and I love that you believe in me. I'll try my very hardest to do you (and mum) proud and to get you both a nice retirement home one day. In the far far away future, I'd like to add. Love you dad. And you too mum.

Why the internet is destroying our attention spans and love of books

There is something about everyday life that stops me from reading. I'd like to say it's because I'm too busy, but that would be lying. I believe the answer lies in modern technology, notably the internet. I blame it entirely for making me have the attention span of a four year old and not to mention ever too busy, doing quite literally nothing but looking at old friend's Facebook pages, to even attempt the challenge of reading a book. Four hundred pages of my attention, I personally feel, deserves me receiving a medal upon completion. I think it's the brightness of a laptop screen that draws me in, as opposed to me looking at a yellowing page in which the text is fading after years of sitting on a shelf. Maybe a Kindle could solve this, but alas I do not have a Kindle right now.

Is it not sad to know that newspapers are a dying breed? That a newspaper corporation (The Independent) actually had to create a smaller "bite-sized" read for consumers? Maybe I've lost numerous readers already due to the daunting length of all this text. I will I have to admit however, I do prefer the portion size of The I in comparison to lengthy broadsheets. The reason for newspapers and perhaps the old fashioned hobby of reading dying is only because we, as a nation, a global community and a world have become used to receiving small chunks of information at a time. How does this tie in to the internet? I hear you ponder. Here is the thinking: if you're anything like me, the first thing I do when I open up the internet is open up a tab for this blog, a tab for Twitter, a tab for Facebook, a tab for AOL mail and a tab for my university email. It's almost become routine. So, with an initial thought to just check on my blog, I end up automatically opening five tabs, if not more. I instantly multi-task, without necessarily knowing it. I constantly flick tabs, because after looking at my ever expanding wish-list on ASOS, suddenly I want to know the definition for 'insouciant' and then I need to use Wikipedia to verify all the useless bits of information I've discovered. 

So yes, the prospect of reading does indeed seem daunting to some nowadays. I am however proud to declare that I overcame this issue recently and in the past month I have read three-and-a-bit books. (Granted two of those were on holiday, but give me some credit.) I think it's important to take time out of your day, away from your computer, laptop or iPhone, to indulge yourself with a book, or even a magazine if that's all your day can really fit in. Maybe not the I'm-marrying-my-dad-and-my-mum's-my-bridesmaid ones though, because I hate to say it but they are actually just picture books with captions. Buy a content heavy one, and just enjoy an excellent past time. I guarantee you'll feel relaxed and at peace with the world afterwards. Well, maybe not the latter. I never said I was a miracle worker.

"Work hard, be good and get better."

Today has definitely been a good day so far. Polly Vernon, yes POLLY VERNON replied to my tweet to her providing me with this advice "I'll happily give you advice: work very hard, be good and get better. It won't let you down, I promise." TOO excited over this. It's hard to explain. I'll definitely continue working just as hard with the advice she has given me. What a motivator!

Polly Vernon is a big inspiration to me. She is a former deputy editor for the Observer magazine. She is bold, brave and fearless in her writing techniques. She dares to say she doesn't want kids, she dares to talk about enjoying being thin and I think she is an inspiration to anyone who enjoys literature. She is the editor-at-large for Grazia and I'm sure, if like me you love Grazia, you'll have read countless articles in the magazine by her. I anticipate my weekly dose for her 'Don't get her started...' articles. They are thought provoking, opinionated and humourous. What more could you want?

Here is the beloved tweet(!):

I love Cos, simply Cos I do

If you’re one of those people who falls in love with one particular piece of clothing on another which was purchased from H&M, but you always think it’s hard to find something really good but when you find it you’re in for a treat, then I have the answer for you. Providing you’re willing to pay a little bit more that is, but not too much, because quality and design comes at a price. Welcome Cos. Cos, you may be wondering, stands for Collection of Style. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Cos is in fact an independent brand from the H&M Group, as is Cheap Monday if you wanted to know.

The style of Cos clothing still oozes the clean-cut timelessness of Swedish design that Hennes purports in an affordable way. Cos relies on quality and comfort. If you want bold prints and wacky fashion focused designs that will be so passé come next month, this brand isn’t for you. The pieces they offer are timeless, sharp and modern. Think focusing on quality of fabric, construction and simplicity: these pieces can be worn indefinitely for they are well put together and of a high end look. 

Take a favourite piece of mine, this printed hem top which retails at €69. It's simple, it has character and above all it is extremely versatile. This top can be worked in so many different styles, with a blazer for formality, or paired with jeans, an oversized bag and sunglasses for a casual-smart daytime look.

Ask my mother, since the day I was given free reign with regards to clothing decisions, I've always been in her words "a clothing snob". I'm not the type to buy numerous amounts of cheap clothing with a sum of money, I would rather invest in one or two pieces at a time of timeless clothing that can be reworked again and again. And Cos works perfectly for my clothing decisions. I think we're all going to be seeing a lot more of this brand in times to come.

David Cameron's rather unsettling Leveson inquiry performance

Did anyone else catch a glimpse of David Cameron’s performance yesterday with regards to the Leveson inquiry? Granted Cameron himself elected to set up the inquiry but I felt there was something unsettling watching, what at times seemed to be, our very own Prime Minister being interrogated in a criminal like fashion. Perhaps the most intriguing new evidence which came to light with fact was Cameron’s closeness to Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International. When questioned how often he and Brooks spoke Cameron showed signs of nervousness, a quality the nation rarely sees in a leader. Cameron stuttered and looked at his papers for back-up. Rather interestingly however, after a short break, Cameron returned with hard evidence about he and Brooks' meetings from his wife's records. There's nothing dubious about Cameron's wife apparently keeping tracks on every time he and Brooks met, right? 

I think what is most interesting about this case is that we as a nation are witnessing a dramatic U-turn shift in political establishments' relationships with newspapers. Political establishments such as Labour and The Conservative Party once sought to be linked to once politically powerful people such as Brooks, for Brooks was linked to Rupert Murdoch. Oh how times have changed. 

You can watch one of the clips here on The Guardian's website.

Why I will always love (500) Days of Summer.

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't.

(500) Days of Summer is one of my favourite films. I watch it when I'm happy, I watch it when I'm sad, I watch it whenever. The best thing about my favourite films is that I can watch them time and time again, knowing full well the ending, but anticipating a different one each time. I think that may just be the key to a successful film; they have the power to allow one person to think they can change the outcome of the story. What I love so much about (500) Days of Summer is the storyline. I admire Zooey Deschanel's character because she encapsulates the position, stereotypically speaking, men adopt. The I'm-not-looking-for-anything-serious stance, in which it's normally the female whom gets attached and ends up heartbroken. Isn't it so refreshing, girls, to see the man upset? As unkind as it sounds, it is nice to know boys hurt too. 

Together Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt effortlessly create the perfect modern-day 'alternative' couple. Deschanel is the nonchalant female with a cold, yet intriguing, take on love and relationships. Perhaps what is most intriguing about her character is the ability to appear so closed off, emotionally speaking. At crucial moments in the film that warrant emotion, guilt or even tears Summer (Deschanel) maintains a calm daze that would unsettle even the most experienced dater. In heavy contrast Gordon-Levitt is the hopeless romantic spending his life waiting to meet 'the one'. It's clear to see that their oxymoronic characters were destined for distaster, yet this painful side to romance occurs time and time again in reality. In this sense one could question why we believe the apparent wise person who once told us that "opposites attract". 

I don't know anybody who couldn't relate to the Expectations/Reality scene. I find myself squirming, just wanting to change the course of action so that Gordon-Levitt's expectations are met. Instead, against our will, we are inflicted to adopt the role of a voyeur seeing every inch of Gordon-Levitt's pain and heartbreak. This scene holds every possibility of realism and believability and I believe it's scenes like this that make the film so relatable.

Perhaps unrealistically so Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt both live in somewhat spacey New York apartments, given that they work in a greetings card firm in what appears to be the lower level jobs. This aspect however happens in most programmes or films, take Friends for example. Well, it just wouldn't be any fun watching them couped up in a broom cupboard sized apartment struggling to pay rent every episode, now would it? 

This single annoyance aside, (500) Days of Summer remains to be one of my favourite films. If you're yet to watch it, then it's safe to say you're definitely missing out.

Love knows no boundaries!

Imagine if your celebrity crush finally noticed your insistent tweets to them, saw how beautiful or handsome you were in your profile photo, responded to you and you both fell in love and lived happily ever after. 

Sadly this is in fact a very, very, idealistic situation and, unless I am informed otherwise, to my knowledge this has not ever happened.  Why? Because “status” gets in the way. This idea came to me after reading about how crazy cool and so-far-from-normal Rita Ora’s life has become in the past three months ever since she was noticed by one of Jay-Z’s reps. She’s been partying in Cannes, she’s chums with Beyonce and is dating Rob Kardashian. All I can say is, lucky her. I wonder if Rob would have noticed her if it weren’t for her propelled celebrity status? Probably not.

I suppose the notion I am getting at here in a roundabout way is that everyone says there’s a soul mate somewhere in the world for everyone. So isn’t it weird to think how some people may never actually meet the love of their lives, just because money and status gets in the way? But, like everything in life, who knows, fate may just bring people together one way or another...

Respect your elders, and your minors

I feel fairly confident in believing almost everyone who reads this post will have experienced this somewhat socially awkward situation at some, if not many, points in their lives. The topic in question being: uncomfortable public parenting skills. I definitely witnessed this on my flight home. Honestly, who knew ONE parent and ONE child could elongate my three hour flight home this week into what felt like an eternity trapped in a claustrophobic vessel positioned thousands of feet in the air. But they did.

This sadly isn’t however the first time I have experienced feeling like an uncomfortable spectator in a parent treating their offspring in a highly inappropriate manner. Granted I am (hopefully) a long way off of becoming a mother myself, and in no way at all am I preaching, but I have babysat numerous children and looked after my cousins enough times to know how to treat a child – even if they are behaving in a difficult manner. 

If anything it’s more that I don’t quite comprehend how, if not why, the parents don’t feel embarrassed when they can see masses of people glaring at them with looks of disgust and bewilderment. I believe children grow up with the values and attitudes that are instilled in them by the people who look after them in life. So if you want respect from your child I think it is vital that you should return the respect to them and then, maybe then, my future flights may feel and reflect the actual length they are.