This was Lily’s birthday gift to me.
Movie
Post 322: More movie trickery
Post 305: Adventureland
A friend sent me this article in the Atlantic about The Overprotected Kid
In it they talk about a documentary that explores a “playground” built around the idea of letting kids do what they really want, to play with fire, use sharp tools and the like. It is a concept (and in the case of Adventureland a reality) that fights the common belief that children are not intelligent enough to know right from wrong, or how too stay safe.
It is something every parent deals with, contemplates and ultimately has to enforce. It is the prime directive that a parent needs to keep there children safe, it is not up to them to decide, but there are times, in a semi-controlled way, that it is REALLY important to let them decide, otherwise the fear becomes a reality and the child has a hard time differentiating between safe/unsafe, good/bad, proper/improper.
When Luke saw just a still image of the place, a boy stoking a rough made fire, his only words were:
“What is that, I want to go there”
Its just the way it is.
You can stream the movie (its only 22 minutes) here for $4.99.
Post 300: Beach Days
We are trying to have a beach get together with Luke’s kindergarten class each Friday, so far, so good.
Post 299: Boys and Happiness
Whether by accident, coincidence or pure harmony, I recently had an intersection of parenting I wanted to share.
Luke’s teacher recommended and gave out an excerpt from this book:
The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness: Five Steps to Help Kids Create and Sustain Lifelong Joy
At the same time a parent in Luke’s classroom recommended this documentary:
What dawned on me is that these two items show the problem and the solution. The problem (with raising boys at least) is that the whole male dominated, angrier, bigger, better, stronger, more masculine world that we have cultivated right here in the United States is very broken. You can watch the documentary for more specifics, but in essence it paints a bleak picture of what it means to be growing up in this country as a male these days…
Unless…
You work a solution, such as the one presented in the book listed above. A book that simply states that in order to raise healthy, happy children into healthy happy adults all you have to do is keep the magic of childhood alive. Allow your children to be exactly what they are and to love, love, love them unconditionally.
The book discusses the concept of “flow” or “connectedness” described as being “the first priority at home or at school ought to be to create a connected atmosphere in which the child feels cared for, welcomed and treated fairly“
Sounds simple, but it isn’t always the case as life is filled with moments that get in the way of staying “connected”. Thus the job of the parent, teacher, coach, care giver is to stay consistent, even, fair and imbued with unconditional love, that everlasting love.