Take a Step Back in Time - Parenting

In today's economy, fast paced and demanding life, it isn't easy to be an effective adult, let alone a parent. As a single working parent, with a teenager, let me make a few suggestions. Take a step back in time to how things were when WE were growing up.

"Back in MY day," we only had 1 TV in the house, it only received about 15 channels (we didn't have cable), I was the remote to change the channel (by twisting a knob), and had to adjust the aluminum foil covered antenna by hand. Today, we have 500 Channels and Nothing to Watch. My suggestion? Turn off the electronic things, and take them out on the back patio to talk WITH, not AT them. Float an idea and LISTEN to what they say. Set aside the cable/satellite TV, wi-fi laptop, eTablet, and smartphone.

My son and I spent the evening on the back porch while it was breezy, and I asked him a few basic questions that generated a lot of conversations, and we laughed hard TOGETHER. This conversation enabled me to recapture what it means to be "young at heart." Some of the basic questions started with:

• How did you sleep last night? Have any dreams? (clues you in to what is in their subconscious)
• What was the best part of today? (lets you know what they enjoyed about this day)
• What was the hardest part of today? (lets you know what might be "bothering" them)
• What was the easiest part of today? (lets you know what they might excel at)
• What was the most enjoyable part of today? (lets you know what sparks happiness)
• Anything else you want to talk about?

The last one is what tends to generate the most conversation, once you get them talking. And once you do, "please hold on to the bar" because it is going to be an interesting ride. Once I got my son talking, we talked about school, soccer, girls, dating... yeah, that was DEFINITELY an interesting evening in front of the fire bowl.

But I digress... my suggestion is to shut off all of the electronic stuff that clutters your life, and live your own, accompanied by those immediately around you. Toast some marshmallows, make S'mores.

Blogging Rant

It surprises me to write a blog entry about blog entries, but here goes. The ways we share things with our friends and families have changed a lot since it used to only require us to write a letter. But think about that, we used to WRITE. Now we can take pictures, videos, text, and call people on our cell phones. Then immediately post them on YouTube, Facebook, or our own blog. Don't get me wrong, I embrace advances in technology, but think about your audience when you post something.

Most people post entries when we are awake...which is during the daytime, and most of us are at work. Most places we work at do not appreciate and some forbid, personal surfing. So, if you post a video as the only content of your entry, most likely it won't be viewed. Include a TEXT based explanation so we can decide if we should check it out many hours later on our computer when we get home.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo (1840-1902) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It also makes me wonder where our "culture" is going. If we only travel the path of least resistance to share random thoughts or sights, are we truly experiencing life? If Edgar Allen Poe had a smartphone, would he have written what he did? Would Victor Hugo written the Hunchback of Notre-Dame? I doubt it. But it is from the true people in history that took the time to WRITE things that impact us.

I fear that people today are becoming more dependent on the convenience of being on the path of least resistance than living a true life. It pains me, but only because maybe I'm "old school." I still write by hand, all of my letters with a Waterman pen.

Again, I embrace the advances in technology, but maybe spending some time doing the OLD SCHOOL things is good too.

Screw Head Alignment

When I started my apprenticeship to a master carpenter, one of the things that he was adamant about was the "proper" alignment of the heads of the screws that hold the light switch and outlet cover plates. I was instructed 30 years ago, that the screwdriver slot should ALWAYS be aligned vertically because a switch goes up and down and the openings of the outlet go up and down, the screw needs to match. I've always and still align them that way. I've even been in arguments with electricians that (incorrectly, IMHO) finish with them in a HORIZONTAL or even diagonal alignment. Makes me gasp every time I see them "incorrectly aligned."

Maybe I'm being a little "odd" about it, but that is what I was always expected to do when replacing the cover plates. Let me know by commenting below which way YOU feel they should go:

A) Vertical
B) Horizontal
C) Diagonal
D) None of the above, I don't really CARE