Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 14, 2017, 09:54:39 pm
Some things are fun, but don't have lasting value.
Post by: GrannyLinda on February 14, 2017, 10:08:37 pm
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 14, 2017, 10:12:24 pm
Or, what do you think were the most important things your parents did with you?
Post by: Fierofool on February 15, 2017, 12:30:37 am
We spent time with her, In the home and in the yard, whether it was work or play. We spent whole weekends out on the boat, fishing and skiing. There are no real distractions, so you're almost always one on one. Sometimes she would bring girlfriends along. Most of them were like our second daughters. This carried through even after she graduated and started her EMT training.
We both worked at the school where she started Kindergarten and attended elementary school. My wife read story books to her from the time she was born. The stories burned into her so well that her K teacher thought she was actually reading her favorites, word for word, turning the pages at the proper time. We taught her that school was good. She enjoyed it. We taught her to respect others, especially elders and to be responsible for herself. Today, she is still an avid reader, a great story and poetry writer and an occasional song. She is passing on those values to her daughter. We still have a very close bond.
Our GrandDaughter
Our bond with her is such that she often asks for me to pick her up from Pre-K, rather than her parents, and sometimes she prefers to go to church with us instead of with her parents. I suspect that may have nothing to do with us, though. She and I have a very special bond. We take one day a week, after Pre-K to either go to the city park or to DQ for an ice cream. Sometimes she just wants to go walk in the back yard or even sit on the tailgate of the truck. She also enjoys school and is looking forward to Big School. Probably a Christian Academy. She loves Sunday School and understands much of the concept.
She knows what discipline is and why. She doesn't throw temper tantrums when she's told no for any reason. These are all things that have been taught.
My Parents
They were uneducated farm people. Dad had 1 year and 2 days education and Mom finished 8th grade. They both understood the need for an education. My sister and I understood that there was no excuse for failing a grade and we knew the consequences if we failed. College was never in our future though I did manage to go after I was married. They always made sure we had a school lunch. There was no free lunch program back then. When times got tough, if they didn't have the $1 for the week's school lunch, we brown-bagged it, being sure to bring the lunch bag back home for the next day's lunch. PB & J, Potted Meat Sandwich, Biscuit with Fried Streak-O-Lean, a pork chop left over from the previous night's supper. Sometimes there wasn't enough sandwich bread for Dad, Mom and our lunches. We got the sandwiches. They did without. That didn't really have an impact until my adulthood. That was unspoken love.
They taught us good work ethics. Self sufficiency. They taught us that if we got into trouble with the law, we could get ourselves out, too. Our 3 younger brothers, on the other hand were never taught these qualities as Dad and Mom became more affluent. Neither can support themselves or hold a regular job. The one who lives with us has health and physical limitations, so he at least has some reason beyond his control.
What I miss in retrospect is personal time spent with my parents as a child. Most of our time together was directed at the farm. Dad and Mom worked in Atlanta, my sister and I took care of the home stuff until they got home, then I was out with Dad mending fences, cutting and baling hay, planting or gathering corn, tending the garden. But during the summer, we stayed home by ourselves and played with our neighbors kids. The boys and I roamed the farm, swam in the creeks and lakes when chores were done.
What I missed most was that my parents never hugged us or told us they loved us. Not that they didn't love us. It was just never verbalized in those words. At least not that I remember.
Church was not in my Dad's life. In those days, everyone dressed up for church. Dad only had overalls and work clothes. Even so, he used very few swear words. Our Mom, my Sister and I attended, but not regularly.
Take from this what you will. The same formula or actions won't have the same effect on everyone. Take the time to talk with your child. Get to know them. Let them know you. Set boundaries and enforce those boundaries. They will respect you for it and grow up to be a better person.
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 15, 2017, 04:58:27 am
I taught the kids to ride a bike. They've been in the car while I gave driving lessons. My kids have been around the world, lived with people of different cultures; they've been with me to plays by disabled people; they've been on tours of catacombs; they've had tours of historic buildings; they've been present for various important meetings. They have a dog to help them learn responsibility. I do not accept back-talk, fussing, whining, or hurting their sibling. We have a schedule.
Sometimes, I feel like I'm sick all the time, and that that's all they'll remember. My work takes a lot of my time, too.
My parents loved us, but yeah, not much on verbalizing it or affection. My parents were poor while I was growing up, but educated. There was always food, but we did without a lot of other things. For us, too, most of our interaction was farm work. I never learned to swim. I never got to make any real decisions, growing up. I didn't get to choose what I ate, what clothes I wore or anything. I never learned any social skills, growing up. The livestock never complained. I regret that while we were told what to do, we were never told why. No explanations were ever given. My parents changed religions several times, for example. To this day, no explanation. I didn't get to interact with anyone my own age, and find it difficult to do so, now. Actually, we finally decided that we were treated like toddlers, growing up, and raised for a time before we were born. My parents looked down on other people, probably subconsciously, and this rubbed off on my. Not much use on a farm for a one-armed boy. I didn't get to spend time learning wood-working or other skills. I was never exposed to sports. To this day, I have only a vague idea of them. I learned a little about tools from my dad, largely because he was a sucker, and overpaid for POS vehicles.
Any benefit to teaching sports, canoeing, swimming, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, etc?
Post by: Fierofool on February 15, 2017, 10:23:01 am
Any benefit to teaching sports, canoeing, swimming, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, etc?
Sports can teach cooperation and teamwork. It should teach that you cannot always be successful, a winner. Or at least it used to. Seems now, there can't be a winner or loser. Only a participant. At least while participating in youth sports.
Canoeing, I think, also teaches teamwork. Both must have the same goal in mind and work together to get to that final point. If they don't work as a team, they meander along or just go in circles. When they work together, they reach that end point quicker and with more ease.
Fishing with a partner can be a time to really get to know one another, especially when away from all others. I think it's possible to learn that you can't always be successful. Lord knows, Melanie and I spent many a day out on the water just talking. The only fish to be seen were those jumping out of the water or the bait fish in the livewell. There were those times when we would come back home with a few good Bass or 50 or more pounds of Striper. Sometimes we caught Loggerheads (submerged trees) and occasionally tried our hand at catching flying fish (those usually roost up in the tree limbs along the shoreline). We would often catch and release.
Swimming. Physical health, safety, and just simple enjoyment of the water, maybe. I never learned to swim very well, either. I remember once when my Mom caught us in one of the lakes, telling me that I should never go into the water until I learned how to swim. DUH!
Horseback riding. Though I occasionally rode horses, I was never really adept at it. I only got bruises and scrapes from riding.
Hunting. We never hunted for sport. Other than the birds I shot with my BB gun as a kid, we always hunted for food. We ate whatever we shot. I do believe it can teach safety and responsibility and not to be wasteful.
Post by: Raydar on February 15, 2017, 11:15:02 am
I was 14 years behind my next oldest sibling (my sister). Have a brother a year older than she is.
My parents were good to me, to the point that I was spoiled. I don't know if they wanted to try a different "tack" or if they just didn't want to discipline me as strictly as my siblings. Or maybe they were just too tired, by then.
I know they loved me, even though I'm pretty sure I was somewhat of a surprise. My parents were old-school Catholic. All children were blessings... Right? (There was also a girl about a year before me, who was stillborn. So maybe they *were* trying.)
All I will say is that I remember a lot of good times, and some bad times.
I guess I turned out okay. I'm gainfully employed, live indoors, and have never gotten arrested, so that's something. :D
So... for contrast, I'll say what NOT to do.
Don't be sarcastic. Don't be a hypocrite. Don't tell lies - even "white lies for their own good". Don't lay down "guilt trips".
They'll remember. Even if the instances are few and far between.
Please don't take this as complaining. I had lots of advantages that other kids I knew did not. And not as many as some others. I never got beaten, and never had a spanking I didn't earn.
Mostly just that the "insignificant" things - the things that you'd never expect - are often remembered. (And yeah... I was pretty much a sh!t to live with, too. I admit that, freely and whole heartedly.)
One reason I don't have children is that my father developed a form of Muscular Dystrophy, during his 50s, while I was a teen. I figured that there would be a good chance that I also carried that gene. If it were to affect me, I didn't want to pass that along.
(I'm good, so far. So it may have been something external. My wife - the chemist - reminded me that he was exposed to a lot of organic chemicals during his career. So that may have been behind it. On the other hand, I had a cousin who developed ALS, so who knows?)
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 15, 2017, 06:18:49 pm
Don't be a hypocrite. Don't tell lies - even "white lies for their own good". Don't lay down "guilt trips".
Easier said than done. I already got busted. My big brother got advanced periodontitis, and had to have his remaining teeth removed. I told the kids that, if they didn't brush their teeth, this could happen to them. The dentist told the kids it's hereditary. The kids came home and told me I need to brush my teeth more, because it's hereditary. Another time, I told them that smoking causes cancer and makes your breath smell. The doctor told them that cancer is not caused by smoking.
I earned every one of my spankings. I deserved about twice as many as I got.
Yeah, my kid sister NEVER got punished.
No telling what I may get. The government basically used us as guinea pigs.
I've been trying to teach my kids basic skills, but many I was never exposed to. The skills I have are mostly useless. But hey, I have ”good character”.
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 15, 2017, 06:45:07 pm
I remember once when my Mom caught us in one of the lakes, telling me that I should never go into the water until I learned how to swim. DUH!
My mother, too!
We had a bunch of ponds, and a nearby river. No swimming. A few ear infections didn't aid our cause. My dad can swim, but was always off fishing. I got to go, once. Never learned to fish, but could get them with a rifle. Not a fan of fish, mucles, turtles, crabs, lobster, oysters, snails, or anything from the water.
My parents used to go canoe racing before I was born. Lots of trophys for it. My mother told my father that if she ever got wet, it was over. I guess she got wet. I actually remember it. The only time I got to ride in the canoe. My mother had forgotten most of what she knew, and my brother was inexperienced, in back. The canoe wrapped around a tree like a second skin.
I used to be able to shoot anything I could see. I've never been hunting. I'd just go shoot the first boar or deer I saw.
I didn't used to float. This may help explain other issues. My body was less than 70% water, which led to a density greater than water, and thus caused me to sink.
Post by: pgackerman on February 16, 2017, 12:08:19 pm
We've done the Disney World and Universal vacations, but the one we all remember the most was going geo-caching in the north Georgia State Parks. Spent about a week in an old CCC cabin by a lake, hiked miles every day, caught mickey in our cabin, drove to other parks, and just had a great time. My, now much older, kids still say that was the best trip we ever went on.
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 16, 2017, 06:41:18 pm
The CCC cabins are still around? I thought they were all long gone.
Kids really like the camping trips. The problem is that most campgrounds are full of drunks and worse. Many are closed or no longer maintained. Even the KOA campgrounds went downhill. Some I wanted to go to are closed for maintenance until at least 2020.
The last camping trip, we got fed up and left about 4am. I got a ticket for driving after midnight, but the miscreants were apparently all good. There was loud music, shouting, the odor of weed, lots of questionable activity, and the park ranger did nothing.
The camping trip before that, we ended up in a hotel, because they double-booked our spot.
The trip before that, we couldn't have a fire. Not very pleasant. We had to go buy food that was cooked.
The trip before that, the lake flooded us out.
The trip before that, we got kicked out, because out tent was a foot too long (8x13). This was an issue, because someone's RV swung the rear end around and caught out tent, which was on the pad. They also hit several parked cars. We complained, and were tolk that it was our fault for a non-standard tent size. My vehicle is over-size, so I was parked in the lot .5 miles away (luckily). There is no documentation stating tent size, and ours did fit on the tent pad. The park's position was that no other tents were hit. My position was that we fit on the pad, and that there were no other tents in the park.
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 16, 2017, 07:10:20 pm
Post by: pgackerman on February 16, 2017, 07:15:07 pm
I've found Georgia State Parks to be very nice. At one point we visited all of them. Fort Mountain where you can look down on the clouds, Cloudland Canyon where some of the waterfalls made me think of Neverland, Providence Canyon where you won't believe your in Georgia, Mistletoe - which has almost no mistletoe, but islands everywhere, George L Smith II where you can kayak between the cyprus trees, Georgia Veterans with a B-29 and other planes/tanks parked around, Watson Mill with its covered bridge and natural water slide, etc, etc, etc.
Post by: Fierofool on February 16, 2017, 07:17:31 pm
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 16, 2017, 08:14:04 pm
Post by: Fierofool on March 22, 2017, 01:39:10 pm
A Worthwhile Thing.
Post by: GTRS Fiero on March 22, 2017, 06:04:38 pm
$5!!! I thought it was a quarter!
The tooth was removed? My kids' teeth came out with no help from me.
My son has a bunkbed/desk/hideout/shelves/trundle bed. His bunk is on top. We put the tooth on the side before he went to bed, so we could get to it without climbing on him. That night, I went searching for the tooth. I checked the entire side, behind the bed, between the bed and the wall, on the desk, in the trundle, etc. I tried reaching under his pillow, but he had the blanket wrapped around himself and the pillow. No tooth. So, I climbed up on his bunk, and carefully adjusted him while I dug for the tooth. I eventually got the tooth without waking him, but it took a while.
Lately, our worthwhile things are teaching the kids to mop properly and going over their karate lessons.
Post by: Fierofool on March 22, 2017, 06:21:06 pm
Post by: GTRS Fiero on March 22, 2017, 06:49:34 pm
Post by: GTRS Fiero on March 24, 2017, 09:18:06 pm
Anyway, the kids got to wire up a chirping bird that responded to light (which worked), and a radio (which didn't). Radios used to be my favorite thing to wire up. AM radio was easiest. We used a germanuim diode, which I thought was backwards. We had sound, but just static. No change in results with the diode swapped around or disconnected. I don't know what was wrong.
The one thing this unit doesn't have is a relay. It has lights, but they're all LEDs.
We discussed differences between doides, how to read the color bars on resistors, and how capacitors work. I skipped the transistors, other than showing them the PNP vs NPN.
Post by: GTRS Fiero on April 20, 2017, 08:39:05 pm
Post by: GTRS Fiero on June 24, 2017, 08:27:46 am
He did another experiment with a weather detector. I usually come home to a new experiment daily,
Post by: Roger on June 24, 2017, 08:55:54 am
Following up on the relay discussion with my son, I got out the 500in1. I was rather dissappointed it it, compared to a 160in1 I used many years ago. I prefer to have all the diodes, resistors, and capacitors in place, then just do the wiring between things. This one, you have to wire up everything on a breadboard. It takes much longer to get results. I may try to find a simpler kit.
Anyway, the kids got to wire up a chirping bird that responded to light (which worked), and a radio (which didn't). Radios used to be my favorite thing to wire up. AM radio was easiest. We used a germanuim diode, which I thought was backwards. We had sound, but just static. No change in results with the diode swapped around or disconnected. I don't know what was wrong.
The one thing this unit doesn't have is a relay. It has lights, but they're all LEDs.
We discussed differences between doides, how to read the color bars on resistors, and how capacitors work. I skipped the transistors, other than showing them the PNP vs NPN.
The 'banded' end of the diode goes to the antenna. You have to be VERY close to the transmitting antenna to really get anything without an RF amp stage. Was it a simple diode receiver or did it also use an LC circuit? What kind of relays are you wanting. I have many that you are welcome to (if I can find them ;-). I may also have some low voltage lamps (not LED).
Post by: GTRS Fiero on June 24, 2017, 09:07:47 am
Post by: GTRS Fiero on June 24, 2017, 09:13:39 am
One more week of lessons this summer.
Post by: GTRS Fiero on June 24, 2017, 10:26:38 am
Post by: GTRS Fiero on July 08, 2017, 07:18:44 am
Post by: GTRS Fiero on November 25, 2017, 05:44:42 pm
Post by: GTRS Fiero on February 12, 2019, 10:04:37 pm
Post by: GTRS Fiero on June 13, 2019, 07:33:13 pm
Apparently, some companies were on a snow schedule today.