Would you let your children befriend Barney?

[pete9012S]

If you have children,would you let them befriend someone like Barney?
He sleeps rough,has no fixed abode,nowhere to wash and bathe.
His clothes are well worn and he literally lives from hand to mouth....

Is this lovely friendship between Roger,Diana,Snubby and Barney totally the work of fiction-or in the times in which the books were written did friendships like this actually happen.....

I'm trying to be honest and imagine if I could stretch and see beyond Barneys outward appearance and encourage my children to be his friend.
Would it have been easier in Enids day for friendships like this to exist-to the point of allowing your children to go away on holiday with someone like Barney.

Has anyone encountered friendships that cross these sort of divides in their own family?

Times were a lot different in years gone by...I remember my mum had to go out to work unexpectedly for a few hours in the summer holidays when I was little almost 40 years ago......I asked could I be looked after by the workmen in our lane (who so reminded me of the ones in Peterswood with their braziers to keep warm and brew their tea....)
My mum agreed and I was allowed to play out under their watchful eye.They made me a cup of tea from their brazier and shared their biscuits with me....I felt totally safe with them...Mum was soon back and I just cant imagine that happening anymore today.....

Perhaps others may have had similar experiences from their younger days when there semed to be more trust and respect in our neighbourhoods and communities?

[Ming]

In all honesty, I probably wouldn't.

Who knows how many fleas Miranda might harbour, and what if Barney wasn't to be trusted? Mr Marvel seemed to be the ideal person, to stretch it a tad too far, we might even say he was a bit like Barney - look how well that turned out!

As for allowing my children to go on a holiday with Barney - never!

[Lucky Star]

Probably not. I would have to at least try to meet him a couple of times to see what he was like. It would depend somewhat on what my own kids were like too. What ages they were and how generally sensible they were. You cant, or at least shouldn't, make such decisions until after you have met the boy in question. From a parent's point of view however it must be admitted that Barney's image didn't have a lot going for it.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I would definitely have to invite him round a few times and get to know him. Seeing him make a beeline for my bookcase on his very first visit, take down The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and begin to read it would impress me!

[70s-child]

I wish I could say "yes". In reality, I am hardly friends with the homeless people I see on the streets or on the subway. Many of them are usually high on heroin, and almost all are panhandlers, who are shouting things like "joy to the world" etc. When a panhandler comes asking for money on the subway, everyone I see quickly moves out of their way and ignores them. Not a pretty life, and not typically considered the best company for a child.

Good question Pete.

[Dick Kirrin]

I'm not sure that I could effectively prevent such a friendship. If kids really want something, they'll find their way to obtain it in the end.
That said, I suppose I'd be suspicious at first. Asking me permission to borrow my Complete Works of William Shakespeare might change things a bit, I guess.
On the other hand, I'm not sure if the circus boy in question would really want to be friends with middle-class kids. What have they in common? He must work for a living, leading a life which bans him from things the middle-class kids will take for granted. The question for him is not which pair of new trainers is the cooler one - the Nikes, the Dunlops or the Converse, but how to strech the life of the shoes he's wearing just a little longer.
Cheers

Dick Kirrin

[zaidi]

I think i am still a child but if for my brother than would let him be friends.But first i'll get barney to learn manners and things than i would.

[Anita Bensoussane]

The question for him is not which pair of new trainers is the cooler one - the Nikes, the Dunlops or the Converse, but how to strech the life of the shoes he's wearing just a little longer.

He'd fit right in at our house, then!

[Julie2owlsdene]

What an interesting question, Pete.

I guess when Enid wrote these books, youngsters like Barney, were accepted as the 'norm'. And I think it's quite a hard question to answer as we now know Barney through the books. I guess the answer has to be I don't really know. I would imagine that if you talk to someone like Barney and get to know him, the fact that he's always roaming and looking for his father wouldn't really matter.

[Lenoir]

I think Barney had a certain amount of natural charm and an honest look about him that even impressed Mr Lynton when he met him in The Rilloby Fair Mystery.

[Jen-Jen]

Sadly we judge by looks, so poor Barney with his grungy appearance would have limited chance of befriending nice middle class children. However,if I were in a situation similar to Mrs Lyton, I would hope that I would at least take the time to get to know Barney before deciding my children never see him.

Another thought:
In the Mystery Series Ern Goon is made to enter Fatty's house via the kitchen door because he is 'lower class'. This has me wondering which door Barney would be permitted to enter via if he were to make the acquaintance of Fatty and Co. His position would surely be lower than Ern's - so the coal door perhaps??

[MJE]

But first i'll get barney to learn manners and things than i would.

     Possibly Barney may not have known what fork or knife to use for what course; but when it came to the deeper level of manners that really counts - being kind and considerate of others and making them feel at ease in your company - Barney didn't need to play second fiddle to anyone at all.

Regards, Michael.

[MJE]

I think Barney had a certain amount of natural charm and an honest look about him that even impressed Mr Lynton when he met him in The Rilloby Fair Mystery.

     And I would imagine that Mr. Lynton would have taken a lot of impressing - so Barney must have been very impressive indeed.
     I don't have children, so I don't know what it's like to make decisions about what your children can and can't do, and with whom they can and can't make friends. But I suppose, realistically, meeting Barney (or anyone) for the first time, you would have to be wary until you got to know them a bit better. But certainly, if it were a case of me knowing the things about Barney that I already know from reading the books, I would not hesitate to let my children be friends with him. I would encourage it, in fact, and make him welcome in the house.
     I'm not sure about the monkey, though - with regard to recent comments in another topic about Barney. Maybe we'd have to come to some arrangement about that, if monkeys truly are as I said in that other topic.

Regards, Michael.

[MJE]

     Here's another possible way of thinking about the possible problems with Miranda if Barney befriended one's children (because where Barney was, Miranda would inevitably be too).
     Barney was obviously a kind and considerate boy, so if Miranda were destructive, he would take appropriate steps to prevent damage if he and Miranda were to visit other people - considerate owners of animals just do that - they are not considerate if they don't.
     However, in the books, Barney just goes around with Miranda, and, even when visiting, doesn't seem to take extraordinary precautions; and people just seem to accept her, and often actively like her.
     So that can only mean that Miranda does behave herself, and isn't violent, filthy, and so on (maybe the odd monkey *doesn't* fit the dismal pattern described in those sites I read about pet monkeys). So in that case maybe it *would* be okay to include Miranda in your hospitality, even if you couldn't with most other monkeys (assuming that things I read about the real nature of monkeys are in fact true).

Regards, Michael.

[Lucky Star]

I seem to recall an incident in which Miranda did come to tea and everyone was very surprised at how dainty and well behaved she was. I definitely think that this was Enid Blyton simply idealising the situation though. I think she may well have been trying to think of a differant animal for the Barney series as opposed to the usual dog that everyone has in her books. A parrot had already been used and cats are not that exciting really. On the other hand a monkey would have a certain appeal to many children and that is probably why she chose it. All of Blyton's animal characters are, to a certain extent, a bit too good to be true.