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Being involved in raising your kids takes a huge amount of time. BUT - the best way to raise kids is to bring them into your life, not leave your life to do ki

by jtheory 12y ago

Being involved in raising your kids takes a huge amount of time. BUT - the best way to raise kids is to bring them into your life, not leave your life to do kid things, so that huge block of time is not "lost" to your kids at the cost of your own interests. Obviously not all projects are suitable to sharing with a 4-year-old (learning HTML? probably not), but more than you might think (getting exercise? yes. learning an instrument? yes. learning a foreign language? oh yes. photography, sketching, painting, sculpture? yes. training a seeing-eye dog? yes. house repair kind of things? many of them, yes). Even pretty little kids can learn to work with dangerous tools (they'll be really good about following safety rules when they realize how much you'll let them do as long as they're safe). I see lots of parents who think spending time with their kids involves sitting and watching some loathsome cartoon with them. Honestly, if you're creative about bringing them into your world, instead of you going into the (artificial, invented) childhood world that's been set up for them, it's better for everyone.

3pt14159 12y ago
When I was a small child my dad taught me how to take apart motorcycle engines, while my mom taught me QBASIC and getting around in DOS. You'd be surprised at how much children can learn even at a very young age if you don't make it look harder than it is.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  Or even simply because you do it. Not making it look harder than it is is a step up from simply having a lack of fear of getting your hands dirty and trying things. Taking your time, having a notebook and/or a digital camera and you can pretty much take anything apart with a reasonable chance that you can put it back together again. I first got my taste of powertools when I was 12, visited a friend of my moms who didn't bat an eye at letting me use his big electric drill after showing me how dangerous the thing was. Proper respect for tools is half the battle, after that you'll make sure you hold them well instead of half-assed and have the business end pointed where it can do no harm. Two days with that guy did more for my sense of shop safety than a few years cumulative after that. The level of trust both increased my abilities and my responsibility. After that it was back home where none of that was allowed. I let my 11 year old roam the workshop at will after some instruction and I never regretted it. He built me a custom bike a week ago, so I guess that paid off well :)
  - 3pt14159 12y ago
    That is awesome! I was only 4 years old when my dad trusted me around scary things like torque wrenches and lathes. It wasn't until I was 10 that we were able to put together the whole engine again. I feel like it is kinda cheating at life to have really, really good parenting.
bstpierre 12y ago
Amen to this! One or both of my kids, depending on the activity, will beg to do stuff that my wife and/or I are doing: gardening, learning about electronics, home repair, sports, music, cooking, crafts, animal care/husbandry, forestry (I DIY all of our firewood for winter heat), small engine maintenance and repair, hiking, biking, workout videos, etc etc. I still think it's important to expose them to other things and respect and encourage the interests that they develop, which may be outside the sphere of things that you enjoy. E.g. neither I nor my wife have much musical skill/talent, but one kid likes making music so we encourage it where we can (e.g. I've learned a bit about drumming just so I can help him figure some things out).

by jtheory 12y ago

3pt14159 12y ago

When I was a small child my dad taught me how to take apart motorcycle engines, while my mom taught me QBASIC and getting around in DOS. You'd be surprised at how much children can learn even at a very young age if you don't make it look harder than it is.

jacquesm 12y ago
Or even simply because you do it. Not making it look harder than it is is a step up from simply having a lack of fear of getting your hands dirty and trying things. Taking your time, having a notebook and/or a digital camera and you can pretty much take anything apart with a reasonable chance that you can put it back together again. I first got my taste of powertools when I was 12, visited a friend of my moms who didn't bat an eye at letting me use his big electric drill after showing me how dangerous the thing was. Proper respect for tools is half the battle, after that you'll make sure you hold them well instead of half-assed and have the business end pointed where it can do no harm. Two days with that guy did more for my sense of shop safety than a few years cumulative after that. The level of trust both increased my abilities and my responsibility. After that it was back home where none of that was allowed. I let my 11 year old roam the workshop at will after some instruction and I never regretted it. He built me a custom bike a week ago, so I guess that paid off well :)
- 3pt14159 12y ago
  That is awesome! I was only 4 years old when my dad trusted me around scary things like torque wrenches and lathes. It wasn't until I was 10 that we were able to put together the whole engine again. I feel like it is kinda cheating at life to have really, really good parenting.

bstpierre 12y ago

Amen to this! One or both of my kids, depending on the activity, will beg to do stuff that my wife and/or I are doing: gardening, learning about electronics, home repair, sports, music, cooking, crafts, animal care/husbandry, forestry (I DIY all of our firewood for winter heat), small engine maintenance and repair, hiking, biking, workout videos, etc etc. I still think it's important to expose them to other things and respect and encourage the interests that they develop, which may be outside the sphere of things that you enjoy. E.g. neither I nor my wife have much musical skill/talent, but one kid likes making music so we encourage it where we can (e.g. I've learned a bit about drumming just so I can help him figure some things out).