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Don't be a mentor, be an enabler instead. My mom inspired all of my early learning about computing, officially starting at age 9 when she brought me to Barnes

by kodah 5y ago

Don't be a mentor, be an enabler instead. My mom inspired all of my early learning about computing, officially starting at age 9 when she brought me to Barnes & Noble to get the RedHat Linux book because our internet was too slow to download the full OS. Her only contingency was that I actually read the book and pay for it with my own money. She taught me the value of a dollar and how to stick with something, even if it's hard. She chewed my teachers out when they'd say I was "wasting time" on computers, she bit back when I got into video gaming that invited disingenuous allusions from teachers about Columbine, and she listened when I'd babble on about what I did or learned. My mom isn't good with computers at all, but my #1 champion when it came to chasing my dreams.

schobi 5y ago
This! Enable them to get in contact with their dreams. Offer to drive the kids somewhere to like minded people, maker spaces and such, museums or exhibitions. Lookout for possible events like lectures, presentations, meetups, evening schools, summer courses. Help to find good deals on some used equipment and materials (whatever that might be) and try to provide some space to work on. Help to create financial support for tools and materials, even if it is just arranging for mowing the neighbour's lawn so that they can earn the required money.
xtracto 5y ago
I love your reply. This is what my parents did as well. They put ne in contact with people that knew about computers and bought me a lot of books about them. My dad would listen to me talking about the new things I've discovered, even though it was all way above his expertise.
cybadger 5y ago
I agree 100%, based on my own experience both as having been a kid and being a parent. Like a lot of other folks have already posted, I was also the weird sort of kid that spent time "playing on the computer" and talking about what I'd learned and asking about "modems" and "BBSs" or "the Internet". My parents would listen, supported getting an extra phone line to run my own BBS, would drive me places to support my hardware and books habits--and that all was important to continuing to explore this niche. As a parent, well, I have an interesting mirror experience. My oldest daughter got really into basketball. This is absolutely inexplicable to me, because neither I nor my wife ever played, nor did we ever watch a basketball game at home before her interest developed. (Schools these days, exposing children to strange new ideas!) I knew the basics (orange sphere through orange ring = points; double dribbling and traveling are bad; no tackling) but really had no interest. But we've enabled her interest: let her join the school team, signed her up for summer camps or 3-on-3 leagues, encouraged her to practice in the driveway (oh, yeah, bought a hoop for the driveway), have watched or taken her to college women's games. She still knows more about the game than I do. Even with years of watching, "volunteering" for scorebook duty at some of her home games, talking with coaches and refs, there are still a lot of subtleties of the game that escape me. But it's okay. She plays, she enjoys it, and she knows her parents support her strange, strange interest. Even if you don't really, completely "get it" as a parent, supporting and enabling ("enabler" is such a good word here) is worth a lot.

by kodah 5y ago

schobi 5y ago

This! Enable them to get in contact with their dreams. Offer to drive the kids somewhere to like minded people, maker spaces and such, museums or exhibitions. Lookout for possible events like lectures, presentations, meetups, evening schools, summer courses. Help to find good deals on some used equipment and materials (whatever that might be) and try to provide some space to work on. Help to create financial support for tools and materials, even if it is just arranging for mowing the neighbour's lawn so that they can earn the required money.

xtracto 5y ago

I love your reply. This is what my parents did as well. They put ne in contact with people that knew about computers and bought me a lot of books about them. My dad would listen to me talking about the new things I've discovered, even though it was all way above his expertise.

cybadger 5y ago

I agree 100%, based on my own experience both as having been a kid and being a parent. Like a lot of other folks have already posted, I was also the weird sort of kid that spent time "playing on the computer" and talking about what I'd learned and asking about "modems" and "BBSs" or "the Internet". My parents would listen, supported getting an extra phone line to run my own BBS, would drive me places to support my hardware and books habits--and that all was important to continuing to explore this niche. As a parent, well, I have an interesting mirror experience. My oldest daughter got really into basketball. This is absolutely inexplicable to me, because neither I nor my wife ever played, nor did we ever watch a basketball game at home before her interest developed. (Schools these days, exposing children to strange new ideas!) I knew the basics (orange sphere through orange ring = points; double dribbling and traveling are bad; no tackling) but really had no interest. But we've enabled her interest: let her join the school team, signed her up for summer camps or 3-on-3 leagues, encouraged her to practice in the driveway (oh, yeah, bought a hoop for the driveway), have watched or taken her to college women's games. She still knows more about the game than I do. Even with years of watching, "volunteering" for scorebook duty at some of her home games, talking with coaches and refs, there are still a lot of subtleties of the game that escape me. But it's okay. She plays, she enjoys it, and she knows her parents support her strange, strange interest. Even if you don't really, completely "get it" as a parent, supporting and enabling ("enabler" is such a good word here) is worth a lot.