kitchen table math, the sequel: Anonymous on kids

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Anonymous on kids

Anonymous writes:
This thread is fascinating to me. My children are 25, 27, and 30. I could no more have "Tiger Mommed" them than I could have flown to the moon, because they had their own ideas about what they would commit to. One became a zookeeper (this means getting a degree in zoology, which means passing all kinds of math, chemistry, and physics classes that she found very hard and very boring. One did one semester in college and dropped out, but is a fabulous writer -- always has been, since grade school. Hope she gets to earn her living at it. Third bumbled around, chose his own instrument and his own sport (and at the time of his choice). Had a wild youth. Is now in college and working -- all this to say, you can insist of some things with pretty much all kids (you must go to school, you must help with chores, you must attend family events) but after that, children are extremely variable in terms of how hard you can push, and especially if you don't have a thousands or years old culture backing you up. 

8 comments:

rocky said...

Now C. is lying on the sofa laughing over some DARE counselor who crashed the DARE van into a tree because he was drunk. Haha!

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

Kids are too young to make these decisions, but the government should leave adults alone.

Amy P said...

My hometown sheriff 1) had the DARE van parked on his driveway and 2) eventually got busted for his prescription drug habit.

Lesson learned: Stay the heck away from the DARE van.

Catherine Johnson said...

oh my gosh - you guys are cracking me up

Bonnie said...

My oldest kid did DARE this year. I found it really creepy. I am not sure I get the point.

Cranberry said...

My oldest child did DARE. I see no value in an involuntary oath.

Does the program help police officers identify future troublemakers?

Catherine Johnson said...

I hate hearing about DARE vans.

How long before my district buys one and I have to pay for it?

Catherine Johnson said...

Actually, there is precious little chance of my district buying a DARE van.

Smart Tables, now, to complement the Smart Boards....that's another story.

Catherine Johnson said...

I see no value in an involuntary oath.

They take an OATH?

good lord

Probably just as well I wasn't aware of it at the time.

I would have objected.