Because trouble comes in all sizes.
Vincent Daly 
Movies featuring high tech gadgets have always dazzled audiences. Case in point, the gee whiz contraptions found in countless James Bond films. The fictional scientists responsible for these inventions were often depicted as technology obsessed drones devoid of humanity. Enter “Big Hero 6”, an animated Disney movie based on a Marvel property which catapults whiz kids to new heroic heights.
Overheard conversation on the way to the store:
8yo: Yeah. What kind of animal would you be?
6yo: Um…a monkey because they’re fun.
8yo: I’d be a giraffe so I could hula hoop with my neck.
I’ve been enlisted aka hired to promote the idea of Healthy Dads. As I type this post nursing an injured ankle, I get the premise. Accidents happen, dare I say, life happens and if you’re not careful, especially with your own health, you may well stumble and fall. Nothing makes one realize their own mortality than becoming a father. Granted, recent announcements such as the movie “The Karate Kid” celebrating its 30th Anniversary can be existentially jarring in its own right but I digress. Your circle of concern expands on an infinite scale as a Dad. All of sudden, the future looms large, priorities shift and your laundry list of lofty goals gets whittled away to all but one…being there for your family.
Sesame Street celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. An amazing milestone the generations of parents and kids appreciate as well as The Count…”one year!..ah ah aaah…two years!…ah ah aaah…three years!….” Sesame Street and the New York Public Library are paying tribute to the milestone by unveiling behind-the-scenes footage, photographs, storyboards, and offering a child-friendly area where kids can read and play games.
Overheard conversation on the way home from school:
8yo: Me too. But you know what’s better?
6yo: No, what?
8yo: Ice cream trucks. They deliver.
We string our lives together based on seemingly unrelated moments in time. I vividly remember being 3 years old in full meltdown mode squirming in the arms of my aunt while I clung to an open bag of Cheez Doodles as it emptied out in slow motion like an avalanche onto the floor below. Or the time my mother smiled as she wept silent tears when my brother and I, ages 9 and 6 respectively, decided it’d be great fun to repeatedly mess up her hair. Of course I also recollect numerous happy moments as well but it seems as though the poignant memories remain firmly ingrained forever. So too the deeply resonating memory of September 11, 2001. From the routine to the obscure, we are collectively reminded of our humanity as we introspectively trace the events of that fateful day.
Keeping kids healthy during the school year can be a challenge. Young kids and proper hygiene don’t always mix. They’ll get dirty within milliseconds after bathing. Runny noses? They automatically wipe them on their hands, sleeves or worse. Sneezing or coughing? The little people have no qualms sharing the love in close proximity. Most of the time parents can chalk up this behavior to kids being kids. Moms and Dads try to teach their children proper sanitary practices but often the lessons fall on deaf ears also known as selective hearing. Kids, you see, are not keen on responsibility which has the potential to become particularly problematic when school is back in session.
The importance of kids learning a foreign language at a young age has been scientifically established through years of scientific study. Children are simply like language sponges. Given this premise, it’s not too much a stretch of the imagination to consider teaching children how to code computer languages. Enter ThinkFun’s Robot Turtles – a game that sets out to instill the basic ideas behind programming through fun board game play.
