Country Fun
The wife and I each were raised by old-school, old-fashioned conservative parents, and we are doing the same with our kids. That means being conservative on the ultrafiner things in life but liberal on the structure and discipline, in a loving, nurturing way, of course.
Sure, we let them watch DVDs and play on the computer, including games, but there isn't any of that stuff in the car. As kids, the wife and I looked out the window and used our imaginations, and our boys will have to do the same.
I try to get the boys interested in the simple things, such as wild-looking bugs, trips to the country store to get ice cream and making up our own fun. The boys on weekends and during the summer will not be sitting in front of the TV or computer screens like drooling zombies, getting fat on bad snacks and slipping into a world of high-tech disconnection from reality.
At the house, there are all sorts of implements of aquatic enjoyment, such as slippy slides, an inflatable ring that shoots water and this goofy blow-up dog that blasts water out of flapping ears, tongue and tail.
But my boys' favorite - aside from the makeshift water slide, which I'll get to in a minute - is the noble sprinkler. They loved the water nozzle with the multiple settings, but the puppy made quick work of that, so the sprinkler, also with multiple settings, has become the new favorite. The puppy is disinterested in it.
The nice part about the sprinkler is that it entertains and waters, and the boys are good about moving it around.
But the funnest of all backyard water fun came following a conversation with Curt, 6, who is mildly autistic but has an uncharacteristically wild imagination anyway. He tossed around the idea of burying the cheap plastic pool so we'd have an in-ground pool. He also suggested turning the concrete basketball court in our back yard into a spray park.
My idea of running a water hose to the giant yellow slide attached to the treehouse sent his brain a-whirlin'.
The next morning, he was on me at sunrise like a cockroach on a pork rind. I told him the water slide would have to wait until his cousins from Houston arrived for a family Father's Day celebration.
So I set up the slide that afternoon and wondered how slippery it would be. On the first trip down, Curt shot out the bottom and landed flat on his back in a growing mud puddle. He laughed, scrambled up the ladder and went again, only this time incorporating speed control. The water slide remained in use the rest of the day.
So this is how it is in the sticks. Sure, the new park down the street is nice. There are lots of DVDs and videos in the house, and computer games will get played.
But I know on Saturday morning, I'll crack open one eye at dawn to find a bouncing 6-year-old a couple of inches away from my face and excitedly asking when I'll set up the water slide.
Sure, we let them watch DVDs and play on the computer, including games, but there isn't any of that stuff in the car. As kids, the wife and I looked out the window and used our imaginations, and our boys will have to do the same.
I try to get the boys interested in the simple things, such as wild-looking bugs, trips to the country store to get ice cream and making up our own fun. The boys on weekends and during the summer will not be sitting in front of the TV or computer screens like drooling zombies, getting fat on bad snacks and slipping into a world of high-tech disconnection from reality.
At the house, there are all sorts of implements of aquatic enjoyment, such as slippy slides, an inflatable ring that shoots water and this goofy blow-up dog that blasts water out of flapping ears, tongue and tail.
But my boys' favorite - aside from the makeshift water slide, which I'll get to in a minute - is the noble sprinkler. They loved the water nozzle with the multiple settings, but the puppy made quick work of that, so the sprinkler, also with multiple settings, has become the new favorite. The puppy is disinterested in it.
The nice part about the sprinkler is that it entertains and waters, and the boys are good about moving it around.
But the funnest of all backyard water fun came following a conversation with Curt, 6, who is mildly autistic but has an uncharacteristically wild imagination anyway. He tossed around the idea of burying the cheap plastic pool so we'd have an in-ground pool. He also suggested turning the concrete basketball court in our back yard into a spray park.
My idea of running a water hose to the giant yellow slide attached to the treehouse sent his brain a-whirlin'.
The next morning, he was on me at sunrise like a cockroach on a pork rind. I told him the water slide would have to wait until his cousins from Houston arrived for a family Father's Day celebration.
So I set up the slide that afternoon and wondered how slippery it would be. On the first trip down, Curt shot out the bottom and landed flat on his back in a growing mud puddle. He laughed, scrambled up the ladder and went again, only this time incorporating speed control. The water slide remained in use the rest of the day.
So this is how it is in the sticks. Sure, the new park down the street is nice. There are lots of DVDs and videos in the house, and computer games will get played.
But I know on Saturday morning, I'll crack open one eye at dawn to find a bouncing 6-year-old a couple of inches away from my face and excitedly asking when I'll set up the water slide.
posted by Brian Pearson at 5:03 PM
1 Comments:
I am so glad to read how you feel about gadgets for your kids.
But I have to share something.
Last week I was in San Antonio for the National Educational Computer Convention. Are you familiar with Smart Boards? They're amazing. In one of the demos they showed how you can put multiple choice tests up on the board and each student has a "clicker" to use to press A, B, or C to respond. The graphics showed kids who were 5 & 6 using them. I asked about it and they said "No problem, kids these days are all about these types of devices".
Really? Well now I feel like a horrible parent. Am I squelching my daughter's opportunities? Will she miss out on the TAG program? Will she have to take remedial gaming courses? My 4 year old does not have a DS, or an X box - I think we have a Play Station 2 - but she never plays on it. I keep her busy with finger paints and Barbie.
And about the DVD in the car - I felt the same way - I didn't have one when I was a kid, and look how I turned out.
Well, that was fine until my Dad pointed out that we also didn't have car seats, air bags or seat belt laws. And the windows on the Colony Park Station Wagon were much bigger in 1968.
So I crawled into the back seat and put myself in my daughter's perspective and realized that, unless the top is down, she really can't see much while strapped in that uncomfortable car seat. Maybe 15 hours of Dora on the way to Jacksonville will be OK.
By the way, what a great idea, I can't wait to put the water hose on the slide!
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