Paying attention

This is actually part of a message board homework assignment I wrote for a class I'm in, but I wanted to post it here.

I wanted to point out what I feel is one of the most important things mentioned in the chapter. Johnson (2012) states "kids get hooked because big people take the time to really look at the work they have done and comment on it" (p. 121). I think this is something that many of us (myself included) can be guilty of when it comes to working with children. I was thinking back to an experience here at home earlier today, when my son wanted to show me a project he was working on, and I kind of shooed him away because I was busy doing something of my own. I luckily noticed his expression and his look of sadness that I didn't give him the attention he needed, so I stopped what I was doing and made it a point to talk to him and see what it was he wanted to show me. In the future, I need to be more cognizant of his needs and at least acknowledge his interest, if I want him to remain creative and inquisitive. It left me wondering, how many times have I done this where I didn't notice the effect it was having on him?
Children crave attention, acceptance, understanding, and the feeling of accomplishment. We need to make sure that we don't let their desires and needs fade away like many of our own probably have over the years.

Painting the walls with crazy

Or maybe not crazy. Maybe food coloring. And an attempt with butter. That was Ian today.

When I was making breakfast for the boys, Ian came up and grabbed a butterknife full of butter, and tried to paint it on the livingroom wall. Luckily I caught him with that. I wasn't so lucky with the food coloring, though, which he attacked the downstairs bathroom wall with when I was dumb enough to think I could get a shower in uneventfully.

If you're wondering why the food coloring was within his reach, well, that's because of the potty training attempts we are still working on. Because apparently a kid who is going to be four in just over a week still can't use the potty on his own. OK granted, he has sensory processing issues and he has his speech delay and everything, but come on, kid, I don't want to change diapers anymore.

Or find pee-filled pull-ups in the middle of the floor while he runs around naked.

Sigh.

Maybe I should figure out how to take care of this potty avoidance before worrying about starting a podcast, heh.

Hey, it's only been eleven months

I thought maybe I should hit the ol' bloggy blog blog again, with an update and such. I'm working toward my early childhood education degree still, still have way too long to go. But it'll be worth it in the end, once I can stop being a poor bum.

I've been working on an idea for a podcast about parenting and video games, because those are really the only two things I know anything about, and even then it's pretty suspect. I think it could be a good project, though, provided I can find a cohost whom I feel comfortable with. That's going to be a big problem. The bigger problem, though, will be the finding the time to actually record things. With school, and both of the kids in the big bed, and a part time job, and taking the kids around to where they need to be, and other excuses...will I find the time to record? Or edit? Who knows! The adventure of dad-dom.

The general idea would be a podcast about raising a nerdy child, because there's a big huge old chance that my kids are going to be nerdy, because they are learning from me. I just don't want them to be bullied or whatever, because that fucking sucks, I know that from experience. Whee. Kids can be jerks.

So maybe a podcast could help some other parent out, give them ideas on how to raise a nerdy, yet well-rounded and emotionally secure child.