Thursday, January 28, 2010

Time for Recess

Recess rules. Kickball, soccer, monkeybars: whatever, any break from the classroom is a welcome break for many kids. It was for me, and it is for my two oldest boys, one of whom can't wait for the daily soccer game.
Recess, or at least the time when recess takes place in the school day, could lead to healthier and happier students, some experts believe. A recent article on The New York Times' Well blog suggests that holding recess before lunch rather than after lunch leads to calmer and better-nourished children at school. Administrators suggest that students eat more and there is less food waste when recess is held first because children are not rushing to go outside.
“Kids are calmer after they’ve had recess first,” said Janet Sinkewicz, principal of Sharon Elementary School in Robbinsville, N.J., which made the change last fall. “They feel like they have more time to eat and they don’t have to rush.”
Intuitively, this makes sense. My oldest son often leaves much of his food uneaten because he does not want to miss out on the fun outside, so he rushes through lunch. (Of course, he also likes to "socialize" at lunch, and he has a tendency to dawdle.)
Logistically, though, I wonder how many schools can handle such a change, and the blog post mentions several problems, such as handling the switch in colder climates. At my sons' elementary school, half of the classes already have recess before lunch, and I will be interested to see how my oldest reacts to the change.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Forever Young (Yeah, Right)

Kids make you feel young.

Old Wahoo does not buy that saying for one second. (Two sentences, two cliches - not bad, huh?) Back in the forgotten times (i.e., before kids), I never needed a nap and never wanted one. Now I need to get a nap every day, and that makes me feel old (or at least older). 
That's OK, though. I'm not a kid anymore. I don't need to feel young around them. I just need to remember what it was like to be young, to be a kid. When I can do that (and I don't do that often enough), I'm a better parent.
Besides, the kids won't let me feel too young, especially the kindergartner and his honesty. The other day, after I combed his hair to get him ready for school, he asked if he could brush my hair. After a few hacks at my scalp, he said, "Dad, I can't cover up that bald spot."

Monday, January 25, 2010

The Commercialization of Kids

Though the second-grader told me last night that commercials "demolish your knowledge," my kids remain transfixed by TV advertisements. (See their love for infomercials.) To me, I find their obssession with commercials more annoying than troublesome, and their new favorite ad, the Miller Lite one where the boyfriend picks saving his beer over his girlfriend, drives that emotion home. Because they think the commercial is so clever, the two older boys have started quizzing Mrs. Wahoo and I constantly. They asked me if I would save the cat or my money if they both fell off a cliff, and they asked the Mrs. if she would save her job or the cat. (They are also obssessed with their cat.) My standard answer: I would save any living thing, but I also express my displeasure with the question in general.
Mostly, though, I'm upset that they don't make good Miller Lite commercials anymore. I tell you, back when I was a kid, they made really good commercials. Even if Miller Lite doesn't taste great (and even if I don't care if it's less filling).


Words of the Week

Come on up for the rising.
Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight.
- Bruce Springsteen, "The Rising"


Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Media Overload

A recent USA Today article reports that kids are less happy as they're more plugged in to media, from cellphones and iPods to TV and video games. To me the numbers in this story make me more skeptical than anything (for example, in this study, a "heavy user" was consuming media content for 16 hours or more in a day - when is there time to sleep?) but it reinforces my resolution to read more to the kids. Since I'm already slacking off, perhaps this story will serve as a good scare tactic. (Maybe I should turn off the computer myself.)


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Holiday Spirit

The kindergartner had a homework project for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Old Wahoo decided to help him. He was supposed to think about what MLK stood for - peace, brotherhood, etc. - and draw a picture of a way to make the world a better place.
The 5-year-old had a problem getting beyond just having people listen to Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (the "change" song, as he calls it), so I was trying to urge him to think of something more specific. The second-grader, with good intentions (really), tried to help his younger brother out, but that was a bad idea. Eventually, the two brothers started arguing, and nearly came to blows.
So much for peace and brotherhood in our family.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Words of the Week

Dreaming of a brighter future.
"What is God doing in this World? By day and by night, in light and in darkness, by good and by evil, by his friends and by his enemies, God is building up a kingdom among Men...This kingdom is building very slowly. It meets with great opposition - so great that sometimes you can not tell whether it is going backward or forward. But God is building this great kingdom, though on account of its magnitude, it is slowly advancing, but it is advancing surely."


- Henry Ward Beecher

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

What Does Dad Do?

Mrs. Wahoo had a conversation with the kindergartner the other day, and he told her that Mom goes to work to make money to pay bills. Then he told his mother that Dad goes to work "so he doesn't have to spend all day taking care of the kids."

Words of the Week

Remembering those who helped despite the dangers.
“I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did and more — much more — during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the heart of those of us who bear witness.”
- Miep Gies, a protector of Anne Frank who died Jan. 11 at the age of 100


Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Money Maker

On New Year's Day, a police officer pulled over a motorist right in front of our house. The second-grader saw the cop write a ticket, and a brilliant idea (so he thought) came to his mind.
"Dad, I know how you can make a lot of money," Rob said.
"How's that?"
"Just become a police officer," Rob said. "You know, you can write them a ticket and then the people give you money."
"Well, that money goes to the government," I said.
The second-grader did not miss a beat.
"I know, Dad, you can work for the government," he said. "That way you can make a lot of money."

Monday, January 4, 2010

Resolutions

The Washington Post's On Parenting blog has a helpful post on new year's resolutions for parenting. I think all five are noble goals, particularly spending more time with the children. My only quibble, though, is the lack of concrete steps on sticking with those resolutions. Yes, the author says she will spend less time on e-mail and Facebook, but will she put time limits on those activities? How will she achieve it?
Personally, I'd like to read more to my kids. I used to read to Alex much more often, and I read to Alex and Rob much more than I have to Matt.
How can I make this happen? Old Wahoo vows to read to Matt every morning when we get home from dropping the big kids off at school, and I'll read an extra story to the kindergartner after lunch every day. As for the oldest, I'm not sure what to do. Any thoughts?
And any thoughts/suggestions on your own resolutions? How are you going to follow through?