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Observing a nine year old and a four year old

Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 9 months ago to The Gulch: General
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My wife and I didn't have children and we agreed to watch her nine year old nephew and four year old niece for a few days. Some things should be obvious but never having been parents it was a learning experience. I realize now that giving a nine year old boy a squirt gun when he has a four year old sister is a bad idea. I now know that when a nine year old says he won't torture his sister he means turn your back so I can torture my sister. I am now aware that a four year old girl doesn't think that a lawn mower and circular saw running at the same time should stop her from talking. She simply needs to talk LOUDER. Disciplining a four year old girl with big blue eyes is really really hard. Ice cream is not a vegetable. The best part was one day when I had to run a quick errand. I took the nine year old with me. I turned on the radio and told him to find something to listen to. After hitting five of the pre set buttons and passing up three classic songs he tuned in Glenn Beck. He said "awesome, can we listen to this?" I wiped away a tear and said "you are the chosen one...yes we can listen to this.

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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Dailup bulletin board systems. Some were connected to the Internet, but many of them would hold their traffic until the middle of the night. A message would propagate through the network in a few days, from Madison, to Chicago, to NYC, and to all the local BBSs on that net. The Internet was there, but WWW was the killer ap that made it take off. It took off way more than I dreamed possible.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I've never had cable or satellite, except for the basic 12-channel cable service. I had BBSs connected to the Internet, though, since around 1990.
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  • Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    My wife and I wanted to save money when we were first married and I set one up. We held out a couple of years and saved a lot of money. Still glad we got Directv.
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  • Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Same here. We had an antenna and when dad put a rotator on it so the channels came in better we thought that was awesome. I guess we will find out soon enough what all this digital input is doing to kids.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    When I was kid we only had a few channels and only watched it if we happened to be hope when kids programming was on. Now kids programing is available at all times on portable devices. Some of it is geared toward kids under 1 y/o, unheard-of in the past and condemned by the American Academy of Pediatrics. We're in a massive generational experiment that will show what will happen if kids are exposed to a huge amt of screentime from a young age. Maybe it won't be that bad. But it's a huge change we took w/o giving it much through. Regular people now typically have screens in the backseats of their cars and screens to entertain kids at restaurants and events. Kids don't have to learn to sit patiently through boring bits of life occasionally out of respect for others.
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I dunno, but I often say that if a puppy and a human child are drowning, and it's up to me, the puppy will be saved, and if I can, the child will also be saved.

    Right or wrong, that's how I feel.

    (A child will grow up to be a human, a puppy will grow up to be a dog. Dogs have always been good to me... can't say the same for humans...)
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    gah.

    I came and started reading the gulch to calm down. Was just watching Stossel go on about SWAT teams, and he showed a video where they raided a house, you heard the gunshots, heard the dog yelping in pain, and the homeowner shouting, "you shot my dog!"

    I can't say what my reaction would be to that, because I'd be arrested before dawn, with the new internet police. (one guy got a SWAT raid because he quoted a line from "Fight Club" on Facebook...)

    Now I gotta go read something else to calm down again... :(
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I face the same dilemma as rich.

    But, in order to marry a woman who can still safely have kids, I'd have to marry a woman nearly half my age... not a likely prospect...
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Still not too old. Heck, Tony Randall had a kid in his 70's and some other old farts are having them in their 80's. Not fair to the kid, though, as you're unlikely to be there when they really need you - in their teens - when you start that old. But you're likely to live into your 70's, so should be OK. But you've got to get started, and soon!
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  • Posted by Kittyhawk 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes, I'm sure the government will do whatever it wants. They'll make up a new law if the current ones don't fit.
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  • Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Sorry to hear that John. At 50 I wonder at times if I made the right decision not having kids. Missed out on a lot.
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  • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    the sad thing is that I apparently threw away the
    last chance for my family name to continue, by
    leaving. the 18-year-old wife was absolutely
    wonderful, but at 33 she didn't want kids and I did.
    neither of us ever had any.

    Thank You for your vote of confidence, but it still
    makes me fog up. -- j

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  • Posted by richrobinson 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    That's the best part with kids. It doesn't have to be complicated. They just want our attention. Something that is lacking today. Too many single or clueless parents. I haven't tried the fly over. Good idea for next time.
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