SIMON SAYS: LOWEST OF THE LOW

When I separated from the boys’ father in 1989, I became a single parent. Scott was three-and-a-half and Ross was 18months old.

It was bad enough, but it seemed to me that every time you switched on the TV or radio, it was single-parents who were being blamed for absolutely everything.

It used to really upset me that I was being blamed for something I hadn’t done and I thought how horrid it was of the Government and media to pick on an already vulnerable part of society.

I worked my frigging butt off during that time, holding down FOUR part-time jobs AND doing a 4-year Honour degree!

It was so very upsetting to constantly hear single-parents like myself being held to account for the rise in drug and drink-related problems amongst the youth of the day and for a drop in the educational results being attained, leading to higher unemployment figures for the young.

I was absolutely terrified that the boys would be affected and so perhaps went a little too far the other way, absolutely saturating them with educational visits and outings to here, there and everywhere and instilling a very strong sense of manners and politeness and how to behave.

The degree was going to lead to a career in teaching, I hoped-which in reality it did.

A career I absolutely loved as a music teacher in an 11-16 Comprehensive school.

Except……..

Around about the same time that I qualified, the Government and Media decided that they’d had enough of blaming single parents for all the failings of society and they needed another group to blame…so they found one.

Teachers.

We were blamed for everything, it seemed. Even things that had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with school, but rather, should be learned at home.

It was never-ending, upsetting and totally untrue, but it felt very, very personal. It used to keep me awake at night.

When all the ridiculous new rules started coming in about not touching or hugging a child, it nearly broke my heart, because I remembered one of my old lecturers telling me never to refuse a child a hug-as that may well be the only hug that child gets that day. So I continued to hug and ignored the rules!

Over the last couple of years when I’ve watched Britain’s Got Talent, Simon Cowell has very often also been having a pop at yet another group in society and blames them for almost everything that’s wrong with the entertainment industry.

CRUISE ENTERTAINERS.

I’m a cruise-entertainer.

I can’t win, can I?

Single parent, teacher and now cruise-entertainer.

Lowest of the low.

Scum of the earth.

Except that tomorrow night, Mr Cowell, when 99% of all the acts you’ve thrown at us are tucked up in bed, their dreams forgotten, me and thousands of others will be singing and performing live to thousands of happy passengers on ships.

They are our judges and they mark us on every performance. Constantly.

So don’t kid yourself.

It’s not us who are the problem.

It’s you and your warped, perverse view of the industry.

Don’t mess with me Cowell-I’m a teaching single-parent and I sing on a ship!!!!!

DON’T BRING ME DOWN-ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA