Jason Packham » kids

The Christmas Spirit

Jason — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:19:11 +0000

You know you’ve done a fine job of parenting and really helped your kids capture the true meaning of Christmas when you hear them singing at the top of their lungs:

“Joy to the world that Barney’s dead, we barbecued his head. Don’t worry about the body, we flushed it down the potty, round and round it goes, round and round it goes. Joy to the world that Barney’s dead!”

Family of Six

Jason — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:47:49 +0000

I guess I’m having a hard time grasping the idea, the concrete reality, that I’m the head of a family of six.

Conversation on the phone earlier today:

Amanda: “I’m going to go to target today.”

Me: “Are you going to take all three of them.”

Amanda: “No, I’m taking all four of them.”

Me: “That’s what I meant, all four of you are going.”

Amanda: “No five of us are going.”

Me: (stumped silence, adding in my head)

Amanda: “Jason, we have four kids, there’s five of us.”

Maybe it’s just because I’m working on four hours of sleep.

How not to talk to your kids

Jason — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:57:46 +0000

How Not to Talk to Your Kids
This is an interesting read on how to correctly praise your kids…and the potential harm of over-praising or always telling your kids they are “smart.” It stresses the importance of praising your kids’ effort, encouraging them to develop persistence and a desire to work hard at things, and not to be discouraged when something doesn’t come easily. It’s a bit of a longer article…but worth the effort. As it says in the article, “the brain is a muscle. Giving it a harder workout makes you smarter.”

It’s written by Po Bronson, an interesting author and lecturer. I’ve enjoyed skimming through some of his books (What Should I Do with My Life and Why Do I Love these People?)and reading his essays.