[Extra curricular activities?]

DD10 -Does Spring and Fall Travel soccer (3-4x a week), WInter indoor soccer (1x a week), Basketball, Girl Scouts, Dance, knitting class, flute lessons, and is currently in a play.

 

DS8-Does Taekwondo (1-3 days a week), Flag Football in the fall and recorder.

 

My daughter is definitely more of a joiner. My DS likes his free time and would really just rather be fishing.

[Disney TV shows]

 

Well now, Peanuts I TOTALLY agree with you on. I really loathe Lucy. LOL Another show from my childhood was "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". I was actually appalled to see it as an adult and know that his DAD was in on the teasing and the coach encouraged the kids to ostracize him over his nose.

 

 

Coach Comet is a bully too!!

[Disney TV shows]

I have a very close, sweet ,not formal, relationship with my daughter, and even she, when watching these shows, sees the children treating the parents as idiots and points it out to me.

 

I do see it very clearly as undermining parental authority and respect and I can see you do not, so we'll just have to leave it at that. :)

 

ETA I was on my phone so I was less "wordy" than I usually am. LOL

 

I'm just saying that it's obvious we see things very differently and that's fine - and I realize that we probably won't come to any kind of agreement by going back and forth. All is good. :)

 

We can agree to disagree. I am by no means saying these shows are wonderful programming I'm just saying that some of the shows we watched as kids weren't much better. Look at the Peanuts cartoons. Lucy was a bully plain and simple. You will never see a show for kids today where one character is constantly calling another "stupid," or a "blockhead" or telling him that he is a loser and will never have friends. We all grew up watching Peanuts cartoons (I still do) and I'd bet most of never pulled a football out from under someone trying to kick it.

[Disney TV shows]

 

I do think that they are very different. I don't remember ever seeing the parents of the Brady's or Shirley Partridge being totally disrespected like kids on today's shows. Happy Days absolutely did not make the parents out to be idiots.

 

<Tin foil hat here> I do believe there is a very subtle (and sometimes not so subtle at all) undertone of breaking down parental authority and respect in most teen shows on TV today.

 

 

 

On the Brady Bunch the kids were always doing something behind their parents back. They would would wind up in a jam and at the end the parents would confront them and the big reveal was the lesson learned. I think the parents looked like idiots because they were clueless as to what was going on around them. There was always a side story to keep the parents occupied while the children's drama would take place.

 

On the modern shows the parents are on to the kids from the get-go. They pretend to be oblivious and let the kids learn the lessons the hard way sometimes manipulating outcomes from behind the scenes (still with the big feel good moment at the end).

 

I don't see disrespect but there is more familiarity than formality in the modern tv parent children relationships. Perhaps I see that as better because that is the type of relationship I had with my parents. I guess those that had a more formal relationship might see that as disrespect.

 

This definitely isn't a hill to die on for me but I really don't see the undermining of parental authority.

[Disney TV shows]

My kids watch these shows sometimes and to be honest they can take or leave them. I've seen them as well and they are really no worse than things I watched as a kid (Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Happy Days, etc).

[Is it possible or legal to teach driver's ed to your own child?]

When I was younger my father was able to go the the DMV and get a license that made him a certified driving instructor. There was no test but rather he had to meet certain requirements (be over 21, have a clean driving record, etc). He met the requirements easily and the license cost about $10. He then taught me to drive and because he was a certified instructor, I was still able to take advantage of insurance company discounts.

 

This was many years ago so I am not sure if the instructor license is as easily obtained.

[My son talks to himself]

I say things out loud to remind myself of things I have to do. Sometimes I'll just randomly say "I have to buy stamps"or "It's time for an oil change." I think my family members don't realize that I'm not talking to them!

[How to advocate for my kids?]

In my kids school system differentiation starts in K with separate reading groups. Math differentiation doesn't begin until 1st grade. For kids that are beyond the top groups there is also a pull out "enrichment reading"program. The enrichment math is handled in class with the teacher assigning advanced work.

 

I do have to say that looking at DRA scores can be misleading, and much of it has to do with the type of school or area you are in. In my town which is middle to upper middle class most kids start Kindergarten reading, and most kids test far beyond the DRA goals set. I have seen parents assume that their kids are being held back because they test in the range that is for a few grade levels ahead. They then come to realize that many kids on are on their same level and that is why the differentiation is in place. For example, the state mandated DRA goal for the end of 3rd grade is 40. In my son's 3rd grade class in September, kids with a DRA of 40 were in lowest reading group of the 5 in the classroom.

 

I can't imagine how a school that does not differentiate functions. It must be very difficult for your children and I would do everything I could to enhance the quality of the education that they are receiving.

[I am a literary snob and will never have mom-friends]

Would I be run out of here with an armed mob chasing me if I said I don't get the attraction of LOTR? Hypothetically of course... :tongue_smilie:

 

 

I've got your back if the angry Hobbits start attacking. I don't get it either.

[Jewish wake etiquette]

Are you sure it's a wake and not the funeral?? Usually there are no wakes associated with Jewish funerals. At least I've never heard of such a thing. Your outfit sounds fine either way.

[Could your 8th grader spell this word?]

My 5th grader spelled it correctly and then used it in a sentence (she's like that). My 3rd grader spelled it incorrectly (squallid) and did not know what it means.

[Uhhhhh....]

GS World Thinking Day is not about learning about the world. It's more about the idea that GS allover the world are using that forum to learn about something new on that day. For us every year the Think Day celebration has a different theme, the environment, eras in history, hobbies, etc and each troop does a presentation centered around that theme. It sounds like this year your council (or service unit's) theme is the US.

[How do you have peace with this in your mind?]

 

Me too. I am curious of the Jewish perspective on this topic.

 

 

Well, in Reform Judiasm we don't really take any stories from the Torah literally. They may or may not have actually happened, but that is not important. In actuality it is probably a little bit of both. It is the morals and lessons learned that are important. I believe the other Jewish movements (denominations) view the stories the same way.

 

In addition I know that there is somewhat of a difference between the Torah and the Old Testament that it evolved into. Some of it is due to the additional levels of translation and some stems from changes made by the church through the years.

[Dickens' A Christmas Carol just for fun...]

I love A Christmas Carol and watch many different ones each year. My favorite is the one with Patrick Stewart.

 

 

Me too!

[Day Trip to NYC for Person with Mobility Issues]

Just remember that if there is snow on the ground the sidewalks can be more difficult to traverse. I also seem to always hit long museum lines. Driving in on a weekday IMHO is nuts. Weekends aren't as bad and if you go early enough on a weekend it can actually be fairly quiet.

[Where do we want to live?]

Sounds like where I live in Connecticut. 1 1/2 hours to NYC, 2 1/2 hours to Boston and 3 hours to Philadelphia. Fairfield County is very expensive but other areas are much more reasonable.

[S/O names thread-People that insist on using wrong name]

Reading through the way names are spelled thread got me irked about my own name. My real name is Jenny, not Jennifer, yet many people insist on calling me Jennifer.

 

I have literally introduced myself to someone as Jenny, and they will answer back, "Nice to meet you, Jennifer." Women do this more than men, I've found. I find it insulting, although I try to overlook it unless it continues. Most people will call me Jenny once they get to know me, but at first many, many people insist on Jennifer. I only think they eventually call me by my real name because I don't answer to Jennifer. :glare:

 

A few people have been downright insulting. I once had a professor that refused to call me Jenny because she said it was "childish." I had to have my driver's license redone when I moved to my state, because the woman still put Jennifer on it, even though I had shown her my past license, my passport and my SSN card (she didn't believe me when I said Jenny, and kept insisting no nicknames. I tried telling her, Jennifer would be a nickname in my case)! Even my mortgage paperwork had to be redrawn up because they printed the wrong name on it! My dad also has a common men's name, but the short nickname of it. He has the exact same issue. He has to keep on top of doctor billing departments, because they put down the wrong name and insurance refuses to pay.

 

I really wonder why it's so hard for some people to accept Jenny as a name? :001_huh: I even spell it the most common way! Anyone else run into this?

 

I remember a girl at camp when I was a kid named Jenny. She would get furious when people called her Jennifer. She would call people Fred because if they would not call her the right name she wouldn't use their correct name either. You didn't go to Camp Mikon Recro in the 80's did you!!?

[CANDY or CARAMEL Apples]

Can't I have one of each?!

[Can we talk about things that don't make sense in Children's TV/books?]

Why do Dora's parents send her off into the woods alone when they are filled with giant spiders, angry trolls and annoying monkeys.

[I now know why dentists don't allow parents in the room!]

I've never even heard of parents not being allowed to accomapny their child! My kids have been going regularly since they were 2 and I usually go in and chat with the hydenist while she is checking/cleaning. Then when the DDS comes in to do his check I can chat with him and ask any questions. If my kids are there at the same time they usually put them in adjacent rooms and I sort of go back and forth. I've even stayed in the room during a filling. There seem to be parents in the rooms with all of the kids. I guess the only time I have to leave the room is when they are taking an x-ray.

[Am I being a prude? (magazine related)]

Most grocery stores around me have a family friendly aisle. No candy and/or magazines at all. You might want to ask your store manager if they could create that there.

[Cheap/Easy Adult Halloween Costumes]

Dress in all grey and squirt people with a water bottle. Poof you're a rain cloud.

[Yard & neighborhood signs for high schoolers -- are these prevalent in your area?]

I've never seen these in Connecticut.

[A Brady Bunch Question]

The author of The Wordy Shipmates (Sarah Vowell) makes an amusing case that we learned more American history from The Brady Bunch than at school. She mentions both the Benedict Arnold and Thanksgiving episodes!

 

They also taught us that "A primate takes the size and shape of a monkey a man or any old ape."

[Feeling frustrated about extracurriculars]

I know many people that overdo it with extras for their younger children because they are afraid of missing a window of opportunity. My dd for example plays soccer. She started in 3rd grade which many people in my area considered late. Now, each year she has to try out for the travel team she plays on (even though it is rec, it is the only one in our town for her age bracket.) In the spring she tried out for this fall's U12 team and made it. There was a girl there who had never played before who tried out. She was fairly athletic but just didn't know how to play. After much consideration they let her on the team (park and rec really tries not to turn anyone away).

 

This girl has been practicing and playing but is lost and intimidated. They are way past the point of teaching the basics of the game so she needs to figure that aspect out for herself. She is behind on the learning curve and is considering quitting the team. I would be devistated if that were my dd. My dd loves soccer and would be heartbroken if she couldn't do what she loved to the fullest potential because of missed time.

 

Looking ahead, I know that the competition to make Middle School and High School teams is even more intense. But, soccer is the only thing my daughter does to this level of intensity. She also does Girl Scouts and dance but they fit in as needed.

 

I guess my point here is that many people do not want to have their children miss out on important developmental years so they sign them up for absolutely everything under the sun and see what clicks. It just has to also click for the family as well.