raising kids: choosing hobbies/skills (1 Viewer)

[Greg Yeatts]

Scouting

 

[DustinLC]

Interesting .

 

[todbnla]

Since I have 2 teenage girls: ( :frowning: )

Patrick hit a very good one on the head:
MONEY: re; saving, spending, making, the value of...good job Patrick!

Daily chores:Show them how to take care of themselves; clothes, laundry, house work, lawn mowing (mine do!), all the things they need to know if you were not there to do for them!

Band MTV! Yea, I watched it, but lets face it, its crap marketing these days.

Anything outdoors: sports, washing cars, etc...get off those damn computers already!

Communication Skills: Sorry, urban slang doesn't cut it for me...Teaching them to read books helps this I find too.

And last:

MANNERS & politeness: No need to explain here other than to say that I see plenty of kids whose parent's spend a lot of money on their child's education that have little or no manners, or, politeness..disturbing.

 

[Hugh Jackes]

Gregg Yeats called it with Scouting. The merit badge program is designed to encourage the kids to try any number of things that could blossom into a hobby or a vocation, from veterinary science, to sports, to civics, to swimming, to you name it. And to progress to the higher ranks, the kids have to earn merit badges. Some are required (Civics, First Aid, Swimming, Fitness, Personal Finance) and then they need a bunch of others where they get to pick what interests them.

Beyond the merit badge program, my kids have done so much through Scouting, including whitewater rafting, canoeing, mountain climbing, camping, and backpacking. these are all great sports activities, though not football or baseball, that get the kids outdoors and active.

On a personal level, Scouting gave me experiences with both my sons that are beyond priceless (but especially with my late, beloved Timmer -- in retrospect, participating in the Scouting program with him was the wisest choice in my life).

 

[Joe Szott]

I was never a scout, but maybe I should look into it for my boys. Will my total lack of scouting make it difficult for me to participate or them to do? And what age does scouts normally start?

 

[Ted Lee]

good call on the manners thing todd. i stress that one a lot as well. i was very happy when this older coupled commented on how well behaved and mannered my boys were. that really made my day.

 

[Hugh Jackes]

Joe Szott --

I have no daughters, I only know about boys.

Cub Scouts starts with 1st graders (Tiger Cubs) and runs through 5th grade (Webelos). A good Cub pack is age specific, we all know that a 5th grader doesn't want to do what a 1st grader does and a 1st grader cannot do what a 5th grader does.

A 5th grader Cub Scout bridges into a Boy Scout troop, which runs until a kid turns 18. Most boys discover girls eventually so their attention wanders from male-centric activities to chasing girls, but some stay in the program until 18. A good Troop is boy-led, with the older boys running the operation and teaching skills to the younger kids. This gives the older boys a teaching and mentoring experience and the younger boys a role model close to their own age.

Cub Scouts are a family program with a parent or other adult expected to participate with their son/guardian. All boys must have a famiy adult (dad, mom, grandparent, step-parent, even an adult sibling) present for most activities. It is not a baby-sitting service. Your lack of Scouting experience should not be an issue; they are planning activities for elementary school kids. You are able to keep up with a grade schooler, right Joe?

Boy Scouts welcome the dad's participation (not so much the mom's; the program's goal is male role modeling), but does not require it. My sons' troop has many sons from single-parent families. Not only are these kids welcome, they benefit from their interactions with the men who are their with their kids. Here, Joe, you could participate or not, depending on the activity. Not into camping? You don't have to, but your son would love it if you did. (In a good troop, though, you and your son would have separate accomodations on a campout; he in a tent with his fellow Scout and you in your own.) Want to do the horseback trip but not the backpacking? Ok.

I'm glad that you asked about this program Joe. My kids do not have the sports gene, but they thrive in Scouting. My older son would have earned his Eagle by now and my younger son is about a year away from it. Nationally, only 2% of kids who ever participate in Scouting earn the Eagle rank, but statistics show that they all benefit from the program regardless of the whether they are in the program for a year or 10 years.

 

[Jay H]

I thought I'd chime in with my obligatory comment

Biking! I turned out OK (Just don't look at the pee shiver thread..)

Seriously, I think anything that the kid shows interest in is good and things that he/she might not just to broaden the horizons. I am a serious tinkerer, I love to play with things, take things apart, I'm always building stuff out of other folks crap. Junkyard wars is one of my favorite shows. I always liked legos and stuff like that when I was young. I don't know if there's any correlation. I was also good in math and science so anything that promotes that as well as many fine suggestions above.

Things I wish I learned when I was young: a second language. Music, although I learned to play the piano, I never really kept up with it.

Jay

 

[Philip_G]

like HT gear

 

[Jason L.]

I can't believe no one has mentioned this.....

For a boy, I would put a guitar in his hands right after he comes out of the womb. If I had only known how easily guys who play the guitar get laid, I would have learned how to play! It's also a great ice breaker.

It's interesting you say that Tae Kwon Do really helped you. For me it was a complete waste of time. Learning ridiculous moves that never come in handy in a real fight. Every brawl becomes a wrestling match at some point. Looking back on it, I would have much rather learned to box or done Judo.

If you want them to learn another language you're going to have to do it early, and they will need someone to converse with a lot to practice - otherwise it is just a waste of time.

 

[Yee-Ming]

When I saw the title of the thread, my immediate thought was "guitar". I see Jason just beat me to it...

Having read through it, I see "serious" recommendations like a second language -- which is a very good idea. Kids take to languages a lot more easily than adults, so best to start them young. Even if English continues to be the "main international language", knowledge of another can't hurt you; it is always amazing to meet Europeans who are fluent in several, and often very diverse, languages. I once had dealings with a Finn who knew the obligatory Swedish and English, but also German and Russian; and his daughter was studying in Barcelona.

I wouldn't have thought of scouting as a "hobby", but having been one myself, I'd also recommend it.

 

[Mike Wladyka]

Well, I will just say I disagree with this assesment; as I will try to keep this thread on track.

 

[Joe Szott]

Hugh,

Cool, thank you for the info. I'm fairly used to watching the boys on a regular basis, so doing stuff with them isn't a problem for me. Just my father was a city boy and hence so am I. I've done some camping and hiking, but was never in scouts or anything like that. Looking back, I would have enjoyed being a Scout - the skillset is excellent and the experiences are extremely positive for father/son.

I think I'll definitely start them both in Cub Scouts (when it's time) and see where it leads for them. They seem to like sports and music, so who knows where they will gravitate over the next few years. Also, their mother is a black belt in karate and I'm still working on my Aikido Shodan, so who knows that they might not take to one or the other of those (or neither hehe.)

 

[John Alvarez]

I have to agree with scouting also. I was very close to my Eagle Scout rank when we moved. 1 required badge abnd a few more community service hours.

 

[Elizabeth S]

I think one of the most important activities to promote is a "joy of reading". Through reading, a world of knowledge is yours. Exposure to grammar and vocabulary will help them be more articulate.

Don't differentiate between male and female tasks. I can cook, bake, iron, and whatnot but I can also set up my home theatre system, wash/wax my car, caulk the bathtub, mow the lawn, etc.

 

[Ted Lee]

definitely! i always encourage my boys to read "big books" (with lots of text). i always tell them if there is a word they don't know to come ask me. even then i usually try to get them to guess what the word means before i tell them.

of course, then my wife yells at me when i run around saying stuff like, "ain't no thang but a chicken wing!"

 

[Garrett Lundy]

The movements are actually fairly simple and straightforward..... its because of children try to mush 7 of them together like they're playing StreetFighter that MA's tend to get the bad rap.

And all the benefits are non-martial anyway, but I already mentioned that

 

[Drew Bethel]

All I wish for my daughter (and future kids if we are blessed with more) is not to subconciously put her in a gender box and limit her accordingly.

 

[Joe Szott]

I don't mean to be rude, but what does that mean Drew? The poster was asking for skills/hobbies to do with kids. So the skill you teach your daughters is not to subconsciously put yourself in the gender box? Is that a new age hobby or something?

I'm totally confused...

 

[Drew Bethel]

It's not that complicated, Joe. Another way of saying it is I would like her to be open to any hobby she shows an interest in. My wish is that I don't use my maleness (or her femaleness) to tip the scales in a gender-biased direction.

For example, dance lessons for the girls and baseball for the boys.