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April 2004 - Innovations Newsletter What are we teaching our children?Several years ago, I went to Florida, at a friend’s request, to apply for a job in technical support at a big company. I stayed with him and his wife and got to meet their 18-month-old daughter. We made a connection and after his wife was assured that I was a safe “companion” for their little one, I got to be an honorary Uncle (I wasn’t old enough to be an honorary Grandpa according to her mother.). It was fun, I got to see the world through the eyes of a little one and she got to do all kinds of fun things with her big friend who had a car. As soon as she turned 2 years old we started spending many Saturday’s at the local mall. We would arrive, enjoy a Chinese lunch and then walk the entire mall. The last store we visited played progressive techno, had lava lamps and lots of interesting 3D art. The first few times I took her in, I carried her and made sure she didn’t touch anything. Eventually, her training progressed to where when we entered the store, she would let go of my hand, put both hands behind her back and then with me right beside her, she would investigate everything. Sometimes I’d hold her up so she could see something up high. Then we would hold hands again and head to the movies. We would end our day at McDonalds where she would jump and play in their play area. I’d take her home, mom would feed her, bathe her and eventually I would read her several stories and she would be out like a light. We would also sing rock and roll songs (the kind whose lyrics you can understand with words that wouldn’t offend your mother.) I also taught her “primal screams”. (I cleared that with her mother first.) We would be driving along and she would look at me and say, “Uncle Ron, I really need a primal scream.” So, at the next stoplight we would both start screaming. She loved it and understood, that under no circumstances was she ever to do a primal scream in front of anyone except Uncle Ron, and she always had to ask first and get permission. (She always did.) Her parents found it hard to believe that I could spend an entire day with her and not want to start shooting people. (She was much different with them!) I just didn’t allow it, and the very infrequent times that she tried to play me like she did her parents, I took her home. She learned very quickly that I wasn’t fooling and knew if she wasn’t on her good behavior she wasn’t going to have her fun times with Uncle Ron. I did see her dark side on the few occasions that I did things with her and her parents. It was an eye-opening experience to see how she “ruled the roost”. She was not the same fun loving little kid with them that she was with me. So, what does all this have to do with what we’re teaching our children? One day I went to her home to pick up her dad. His car was in the shop and I was his ride. Mom got me aside and said we had to talk. Oh boy, what was wrong? She looked very serious when she started talking, but couldn’t hold her stern face very long. She started laughing as she told me her tale. Mom had received a call from the little one’s pre-school teacher. It was concerning her choice of what to do for Show and Tell. Her first Show and Tell was to sing one of the rock and roll songs that she sang in the car with me. It was “I’ve Got Big Balls, You’ve Got Big Balls, but I’ve Got the Biggest Balls of Them All.” That was kind of funny, but the biggest concern her teacher had was part two of her Show and Tell. This was an exact recounting, complete with gestures, of an incident that had occurred months previously when another driver had cut off her mother in traffic. According to her mother, she detailed the language and gestures very accurately. Hopefully, she didn’t have a clue what any of them meant. (She certainly never saw anything like that when she was with me. We just had fun and nothing got us mad.) At that point I started thinking about what had happened. You should too. Children are just like tape recorders. They record everything they see and hear. When I was growing up I was shielded from a lot of things. I’ve always felt I was protected too much and I’ve always resented it, but at least I’ve finally come to the conclusion, after many years, that it was done with the best of intentions. What are we doing to our little ones now? Small children are exposed daily to things that my generation didn’t know about until we were adults. We at least got to have our childhood. We even had real heroes like the Lone Ranger. Heroes with values we could understand and who stood for good and fought evil. Their stories were simple and not hard to follow, but heck, we were just kids and they were just what we needed. Please think about what you let your little ones see and experience. They may not show it, but you are imprinting them with everything they see and hear. They then have to filter, absorb and try to understand what they’ve seen and heard. They are not adults, they are children and they do not have the sophistication that we have. Please protect them, they are our future. And now for this months sites: Kids Certificates This is a site devoted to providing low cost certificates for children. If you home school or are a teacher, this is a good resource to check out. If you decide to get a membership, before you join, drop me an email and I’ll get a code for you that will give you a discount. (I don’t get a commission, but you’ll save some money.) http://kidscerts.com/ Visit MARS Here’s a site that has lots of information about our space program and offers the chance to be in control of one of two MARS Exploration Rovers. It’s fun for a little while, but your kids will probably get bored. One told me that it would really be cool if they would add weapons to the rovers so they could fight with each other. Kids! http://www.nasa.gov/ Thomas the Tank Engine If you going to be anywhere near Chattanooga, TN April 23-25, April 30 and May 1-2 you can get tickets to see Thomas during the Tennessee Valley Railroad’s annual “Day Out With Thomas.” Call 1-866-468-7630 or visit their web site. http://www.tvrail.com/ View Earth from Space Anyone in your family interested in geography? Here’s a site sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey that provides detailed satellite imagery of the entire planet. http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/ How Quick Are You? Ever want to prove to the little ones that you still have what it takes? Sick of trying to compete with them in video games where all you do is push buttons? (I can compete but give me something that feels like the real thing, not a push button!) Here a site for computer techies that has a neat little game to right of the screen. You click Start and then click Stop when the screen border changes to Red. Give it a try and then challenge the little ones. It is a great way to test your reaction time. http://www.asciitable.com Get Paid to Listen to Advertising What a novel concept. Here’s a new site where advertisers will pay you to listen to their messages. Don’t know if it’s going to work, but, if you’re a stay-at-home mom (or dad) and want to make a little money, it might be worth checking out. The main requirement is that you are over 18 and have a PayPal account where you can receive your earnings. There is no charge, that I’m aware of, for joining this program. As a general rule, if anyone offers you money to do something, but wants money from you first, run as fast as you can away from his or her offer! http://adnoodle.com/ Puppets This is a site devoted to puppetry. Although it’s sometimes hard to believe that Kermit the Frog and his pals are actually puppets, sadly, they are. If you’ve ever wondered about how puppetry works please visit this site. If you’re ever in Atlanta plan to take in a show. http://www.puppet.org/ Dough Handprints Here’s a great idea for a rainy day. Make dough handprints with your children or grandchildren. They make great little presents too. http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/handprnt.html Personalized Health Plans for Children and Families Since we offer children's products we decided to offer, through Truestar Health Inc, a comprehensive health care program aimed at children and their families. The program covers areas such as Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, Vitamins and Attitude. As a customer of RWR Innovations or a reader of this newsletter, you are eligible for a free, no-obligation, 30 day trial membership. Note: If you decide to continue your membership after your free 30-day trial, RWR Innovations will receive a commission on your membership. http://www.truestarhealth.com/MembersKids/index.asp?code=rnixon That’s it for this month. CU in May Ron Nixon RWR Innovations We Make Reading Fun Again! Issue: 4/1//2004 ISSN #: 1543-9275 Note: The websites in this newsletter are listed because I find them interesting and have value to parents and children. They have not paid money or given me anything to be mentioned. RWR Innovations Personalized Books make great fund raisers. Personalized Children's Books P.O. Box 460939 Papillion NE 68046-0939 402-592-9199 Webmaster: Ron Nixon wa8zde@bellsouth.net 3807 Shadowood Parkway SE Atlanta GA 30339-2301 770-850-1400 Site Map 4/1/2004 |