Comments on: Nature or nurture?

By: Rafael Jefcoat

Rafael Jefcoat — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:09:44 +0000

Let me start by saying excellent blog. Im unsure if it has been addressed, but when using Opera I can never get the whole blog to load without refreshing many times. Could just be my router. Enjoy!

By: Damian Terracina

Damian Terracina — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:26:24 +0000

Howdy just thought that I let you know that I am finding difficulty reading this blog via my iphone so you might want to check on that. thanks!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:12:46 +0000

What I’ve found so interesting is how some things about Ella’s personality have been set from the day she was born. She is a great observer. I often think she’ll be a writer. She tends to observe something first, before throwing herself into it. the complete opposite of me. I’m a leaper, not a looker.

As for the football, it’s the only tv Ella really sees and she could not care less. She’ll be a Redskins fan whether she likes it or not but for now, she plays with other stuff while we try to sneak in a game. She does like playing with her ball, but hasn’t made the connection with the ball onscreen.

By: Katie F.

Katie F. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:47:58 +0000

Probably a little bit of both. My mom loves to tell the story of me in preschool, age 4. The teacher posed the question: “If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?” Most of the girls answered kitties, and the boys puppies – they organized themselves in groups in the classroom. The staunch loner? Me, the Ice Cream Cone. No amount of peer pressure would change my mind. My mom loves to point out that I’m still the “Ice Cream Cone” today.

Not sure if that’s nature or nurture, because Mom is pretty independent herself.

By: Babyrabies

Babyrabies — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:14:59 +0000

Julie, I love that! I, too, want him to be “happy”, but, for me at lease, happiness and success are related. Now, success doesn’t have to equal wealthy. I mean being successful at something you set your mind to, accomplishing tasks and having something to show for your hard work. I’d hope he could find a balance where those things go hand in hand. But, I totally understand what you are saying, that society has this idea it imposes on us about what the picture of “success” looks like. Thanks for chiming in!

By: julie

julie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:38:57 +0000

My husband and I discuss this allllll the time, as it relates to sports (incidentally, Declan also has a thing for football!), career, and who he will be as a person in general…
I definitely have fantasies that he’ll be what I wanted to be (tree-hugging, work for non-profit to save the earth, park ranger…), and my husband fantasizes about what an incredible athlete he could/will be: “Baby, watch him throw this! Check out that ARM!!”
I used to always ask my parents what THEY wanted me to be, and at the time, I thought their answer was good: “successful” they’d say.
Now, as a parent myself, that’s not the answer I’ll choose. “Happy” is what I’ll say. We’re saving for Declan’s college, in the event he wants to go, but I don’t think it is a necessity for success, nor do I think “success” as defined in our society equals happiness. I’m certainly “successful” by society’s standards (and my parents) but I’d really rather be wearing my birkenstocks and teaching kids about natural history like I did in college. So I sometimes wonder…did their want for me to be “successful” subconsiously outweigh my real goals? By “successful” did they really mean “happy”? Does our generation have a better understanding of the distinction between the two? Will we be able to pass on values of TRUE happiness and success (and necessity) to our kids?
What matters to me most, and I hope to him one day, is that he’s doing what makes him happiest, and that I (we) can be there to support him at every turn. If its sports, I’ll be at every practice and every game. If its cooking, I’ll eat every morsel. If its art, we’ll have walls covered in original masterpieces
So this year, under Declan’s christmas tree will be (count ‘em) THREE Nerf balls: football, soccer, and basketball. In our defense, that’s what makes him happy these days!!!

By: Babyrabies

Babyrabies — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:12:07 +0000

Shannon, you make a good point : D

Erin, you are brave. I’ve seen the damage my husband can do with a hockey stick in the house and I’d really like to keep all of Kendall’s sports paraphernalia limited to balls. And really, will MU ever be good? I mean, yeah, there was that one year… what… last year? But they still effed that up.

By: Erin

Erin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:33:21 +0000

We are THOSE PARENTS. When it comes to hockey in MN you start them young- NHL cover on the infant seat for the trip home from the hospital and trading notes with other moms about the best mini-mites programs so you are ready when they turn four. No apologies though- these are the first boys in the family and so far they seem to like the stick…even if it’s just for pounding the wood floors and occasionally slashing the other brother. It does however clash with our vision of them attending MU. Good thing there are two of them. And you are right, MU really crapped the bed this year- seriously…BAYLOR?

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:42:04 +0000

i just think you’re lucky that Kendall screams the singular. it’s much more embarassing to be in a restaurant with a child screaming BALLS at the top of his lungs.