The mummay lives

On the day: 
28/08/2013 

On the way: 
The kid with the profusion of brown curls (Postman Pat T-shirt, charcoal grey sweat pants, black velcro strap trainers with leaf-green stripes): "Mummay, Mummay, that lady." 
Mummay (a child on either side and one in a belly covered by a white ridged T-shirt, a thin dove-grey cardie and a blue and white striped canvas bag): "Yes, she's getting off the bus . . ." 
Short haired blond boy (Ben 10 T-shirt, dark grey sweat pants and light grey trainers with black swoosh and lime grey laces, caressing a bottle of chocolate Yazoo milk shake): "Mu-um, d'you think you are you allowed to drink on the bus" 
Mu-um: "I'm sure you are. . ." 
Curly, pointing at passing traffic: "Mummay, Mummay, that car." 
Mummay: "I saw. I think that was actually a bike . . ." 
Shortcut, measuring up his plastic bottle with his forefinger and thumb: "Mu-um, how many inches is that?"
Mu-um: "Well I'm not sure about five?" 
(Oi, don't snigger, it's not that kind of story.) 
Curly: "Mummay, Mummay, that car" 
"Yes, there are lots of cars, aren't there?" 
"Mu-um , what's that man doing?" 
"That's a policeman. I expect he's . . . " 
"Mummay, Mummay . . ." 
"Mu-um . . ."  
She answers every query, patient and involved, a world away (and, well, considerably more than five inches) from the one near the front of the bus threatening dire consequences should her offspring fail to "shu' uhp". "Mummay, Mummay, that hat" 
"Yes, that's Batman" 
And seeing to their education. Making the hardest job in the world look easy. 

On the pod: 
Feel - Donna Destri and Fred Schneider http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYWKgUopWRM 

On the front page: 
Syria: It could be war within days (Metro)