Less Than 7 Days… August 12, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Education, Family, Love, Parenting/Children.add a comment
In less than seven days, my oldest son will be leaving for college. Suddenly, it seems like an incredibly short amount of time.
How will the experience change him? Perhaps just as important, how will he change those he meets? I know this: The young man who is leaving, is not the same young man who will return.
The former, I’m proud of already. The latter, I know I’ll be proud of when I meet him.
Silly Adult, Cartoons Aren’t Just for Kids! August 8, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Cartoons/Animation/Video, Education, Family, Fun, Humor, Learning, Parenting/Children, Science & Technology, Stupidity.9 comments
Those who think of “adult cartoons” as Anime, pornographic cartoons, and so on, have no clue what they’re missing. In the early 90’s, Steven Spielberg produced several cartoons that took chidren’s programming into some fairly zany areas. My favorite was “Pinky and The Brain.”
Any number of people have posted raves about this cartoon, which was ostensibly for kids, so I won’t add more verbiage than is absolutely necessary. In my opinion, this cartoon, possibly even more than the old Bugs Bunny cartoons, wrote at multiple levels.
For example, where else would you find a scene in which stealing a submarine would be hindered by the steering wheel having “The Club” on it, but it’s referred to as “the Sub Club”? In that same episode, the right-hand-turns-only route describes a Nautilus shape, which The Brain correctly identifies as being representative of “the Golden Mean.” In this episode alone (titled “Das Mouse,” a clear reference to the movie “Das Boot”), there are pages of movie spoofs, accurate science lingo, and pop culture references.
If you were unlucky enough to miss “Pinky and The Brain” when it originally aired, you can pick up the DVD and enjoy those laughs all over. However, this is one DVD that the kids may swipe, so keep it under lock and key.
Why Are Sports Important? July 15, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Coaching, Education, Exercise, Family, Football, Parenting/Children, Sports.5 comments
I have an ecclectic collection of friends. Some of them are “into” sports, but many are not. Invariably, the friends who are not involved in sports (either themselves or by way of their children) are baffled by my love and passion for most any type of sport.
“Why Do You Coach?” July 13, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Coaching, Education, Family, Football, Love, Parenting/Children, Self-Worth, Sports.2 comments
Last week, a close friend of mine asked me, “Tim, why do you coach? Why do you love doing that so much?” The question stopped me dead in my tracks.
What is it about the prospect of teaching a sport to others, in my case boys ranging from 6 to 13 years old, and working with them for an entire season? What would possess someone to expend this kind of energy? Maybe this will help explain it.
The Letter (Verbatim)
Dear Coach,
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Conflicts (that are) of Interest June 7, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Education, Family, Love, Morality, Parenting/Children, Self-Worth.5 comments
In my recent post about removing emotion from discipline, both in the home and at the workplace, several people have commented that there is value in expressing hurt feelings and disappointment. To quote:
…its more valuable for them to know that after a fight things go back to normal, and it’s all forgotten
When it comes to kids seeing their parents dealing with disputes and conflict (“a fight”) I agree 100%. However, discipline is a different story.
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A Fool and his Words are Soon Parted 