Parenting Archives - Page 19 of 22

My Geeky Padawan

January 13, 2010 TechyDad NHL, Parenting

As you may have guessed from the badge to the right, I’m headed to the Disney Social Media Moms convention in a month. We’re going to go a bit early to have some pre-convention Disney World fun and to go on rides that JSL is too little for but that NHL can ride. One of these is Star Tours.

I had been meaning to introduce NHL to Star Wars for some time. I’ve already introduced him to Batman (via the Batman: The Brave and The Bold TV show), Spiderman (via The Spectacular Spiderman TV series) and other super heroes via the Super Hero Squad video game. He also knows how to use computers and the Internet and is a whiz at figuring out how things work. (For example, how to record on the DVR even when Mommy and Daddy don’t want him recording a dozen new shows!!!) So it seemed only natural to expand his horizons to include Wookies, lightsabers and droids. (Oh my!)

This past weekend, while JSL napped, NHL and I sat down to view a rented copy of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. He’s already had some Star Wars exposure from a game on his LeapFrog Didj so he knows some of the characters. He even chose an R2-D2 figure for a recent prize. Side note: Color me jealous. His R2-D2 makes sounds when you push its button. I’m tempted to get one for my office to go next to my talking C-3PO.

Anyway, we sat down to some protests. He didn’t want to watch Star Wars! He wanted to play Wii! After telling him that R2-D2 was in this movie, he got more interested. Still, the movie quickly bored him. It turns out he doesn’t like things like dialogue and character development. Still, his interest got piqued during the land and space battles. Any time the heroes were in danger or were fighting, he was interested. Any other time, he quickly lost interest in the entire movie.

Overall, I think that he mostly enjoyed it and I still look forward to introducing him (and JSL when he gets old enough) to other Geeky interests.

Of Skepticism and Being Mean

December 15, 2009 TechyDad Life, Medical, Parenting

I’m a fan of skepticism. Really, I am. I was reading a post recently about a necklace that supposedly cured eczema and I thought how ridiculous that might be that a necklace would cure a skin condition that it didn’t even touch. In cases like this, skepticism means looking for scientific evidence that a certain product works or doesn’t work. However, one thing skepticism should never involve is being mean.

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Aloha Friday: Encouraging Kids’ Interest In Science

December 11, 2009 TechyDad Aloha Friday, Parenting, Science

I love science. Always have. As a young child, a couple of my first career aspirations were archeologist and astronomer. (Of course, I wanted to become a baker too at one point.) My first year in college, I was a physics major until I slammed into that brick wall known as Quantum Mechanics. (Yes, I took Quantum Mechanics in my freshman year. Russian too. Yes, I was crazy!) Even though I didn’t choose science as a career, I still retain an interest in all things scientific. I enjoy reading about scientific advances and try to keep somewhat up to date with the latest scientific theories.

Lately, I’ve also been trying to ignite a scientific interest in NHL. I’ve talked to him about how the stars are very far away. So far away, in fact, that looking up in the sky is like looking back in time. I also like it when he watches shows, like Sid the Science Kid, that show science to be fun and exciting. (Oh, by the way, did you enter my Sid the Science Kid giveaway yet? If not, what’s keeping you? Go! Enter now!) Even better is when he comes home from school and starts telling me about some scientific information he learned in school. NHL definitely seems to have that scientific spark – the desire to know how things in the world work the way they do.

My Aloha Friday question is: How do you inspire your child to take an interest in science?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #17

Aloha Friday: The Santa Line

December 4, 2009 TechyDad Aloha Friday, Holidays, Judaism, Parenting, Religion, School

As the holiday season draws near, certain challenges arise. As I ~~ranted~~ talked about before in Tis The Season For Bah Humbug, we don’t celebrate Christmas. Instead, we celebrate Chanukah. This means that we don’t need to put up a Christmas tree, stuff any stockings or tell our kids that Santa is going to come and visit. However, that last item does pose a tricky dilemma. Obviously, we don’t have any personal need for our children to think that Santa Claus is real. However, if we tell them that he isn’t (especially 6 year old NHL), then that story will be repeated to other kids. Kids whose parents have said that Santa would be stopping by soon.

We don’t wish any ill will towards other families’ beliefs and practices so this one has, for now, been relatively easy to circumvent. We haven’t told them about Santa’s reality one way or another. The boys understand that Santa relates to Christmas and we don’t celebrate Christmas. However, I wonder what will happen as they get older. Will they begin to ask for a better reason why Santa won’t visit us or whether we’re on the naughty list for not celebrating Christmas? Perhaps NHL will want to know how Santa gets to every house in the world in one night. Perhaps he will have other, not so easy to answer questions. (If there’s one thing I’ve learned is that kids have a tendancy to find and ask questions that are difficult to answer.)

The more I think about the questions they might ask, the more I wonder where the line is. At what point does our wishes not to burst any bubbles clash with our wishes to raise our children to believe certain things. To expand this past Santa Claus, what happens if NHL tells a classmate in Hebrew school that men evolved from primate ancestors when that child has been taught that mankind was created by God somewhere around 10,000 years ago. That could understandably cause a sticky situation. To go past my own children, what if an athiest couple’s child tells mine that God doesn’t exist?

My Aloha Friday question is: How do you reconcile teaching your child what you would want them to believe while not offending others’ beliefs?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #16

Boys Day Out

December 3, 2009 TechyDad Fatherhood, JSL, NHL, Parenting

While I go off to work, my wife gets to stay home with the boys. While this means that she gets to have fun with them more than I do, it also means that she gets to be there during the "challenging moments." She needs to deal with these moments alone over nine hours a day, five days a week. It is easy to see how one could get burned out. So I like taking the boys out every now and then for "Guy Time." Sunday was one of those days. (B did laundry then, but at least she didn’t need to take a break from the laundry to break up a fight or send NHL to his room.)

First up was the grocery store. We needed some food for the coming week and so I had made a list all ready. Unfortunately, I forgot that list at home. No problem, though. Text messaging to the rescue. B texted me the list and I checked my phone from time to time to get everything we needed.

After the grocery store, we quickly stopped back home just to drop off the groceries. Then it was back out. This time, the boys and I went to the playground so they could let off some steam. The minute we got out of the car, they took off towards the slides and didn’t stop until we left. I’m going to miss playgrounds when the snow falls.

Like I said, they first went down the slides.

Next. we went to some tunnels they had.

Once they were done crawling through the tunnels, JSL rode in a plane while NHL sat atop a dinosaur. Eventually, NHL joined JSL in the plane.

Then a quick trip to another set of slides.

And next, it was swing time.

At one point, I got on the swings myself and decided to shoot video… a rather nausea inducing video. Watch at your own risk.

[flv]/2009/12/P1220297.flv|424|240[/flv]

After the swings, we went on the spinner and got a bit dizzy.

Then, after a failed trip to the "big slides" (failed because they were too wet to slide down), the boys climbed a tower. Ok, NHL climbed a tower. JSL flew up to the top (with a little dad-assist).