“I don’t like online school, when is it over?” ~ Unnamed children in my household.
Does that sound familiar? The COVID-19 pandemic continues to play with our kid’s education like a yo-yo spinning up and down between in-person and online school. Everyone in our house was done. We were ready to return to the real life classroom, hopefully for good.
Weird title eh? What does this guy have against 5 O’clock? Is that morning or evening? Fair question for Like a Dad readers. For us it means kids and video games
For most 5 O’clock in the pm is awesome. It’s home time for most. A time of joy and hope for a fun evening ahead. 5 O’clock for many is just the best.
In our house, this time of day is also pretty sweet. In the week, we are pretty much home and, on the weekend, it’s when my wife and I actually get to sit in a room in peace and no children.
Where the kids at?
Well, 5 O’clock has become like Christmas that comes around every 24 hours. As our youngest would gleefully say – It’s video game time!
Hello. Have you been wondering what’s up with me for the last little while? Probably not, but that’s okay. I prefer to lay low and not be on people’s minds.
So, it’s been roughly a month since I got released from the hospital and started all the changes to make me a healthy and happy guy.
Here is what I have learned.
How is back to school going for everyone? For us, it has been smooth sailing. In year’s past, the start of school was always tough on our oldest, because it meant getting back into reading.
But this year, our oldest son has not missed a beat with his reading as he practices a lot. Over the summer he really got into reading what he calls chapter books. These are stories he actually follows chapter by chapter and not the quick reads we have done in the past.
To help his interest, we were lucky enough to try out a Kindle Paperwhite and the FreeTime feature it has. While our son’s interest for holding a book and reading was good, holding a screen really blows up the interest level.
Like all Kindle devices, it’s easy on the eyes and meant for reading, not playing games or surfing the net.
Then add in the FreeTime app and this device is a major hit.
If you are like us, you have a few wanna-be ninjas at home who love to spin sticks, jump in the air and lurk in the shadows. So what better event to see live than Shaolin Warriors: The Legend Continues.
Shaolin Warriors is a unique show performed by true masters of kung fu. The have trained from a very young age in mental and physical disciplines, perfecting the art of hand-to-hand and weapons combat, which allow them to perform feats one thought only possible in the movies. With the precision of Olympic gymnasts and the grace of ballet dancers, the Shaolin Warriors demonstrate their sacred and stunning art form in a dazzling theatrical display for the whole family.
All week I have been reading about Donald J. Trump scrapping this and scrapping that as he prepares to become the leader of the free world. To me it seems like he is getting rid of things just because he can and there is no reason other than it’s change.
Whether it is trade relations, climate research, immigrants living in the country or so many other actual issues, Trump is just chomping at the bit to flush it all down the toilet, which probably leads to the swamp he said he would drain.
It doesn’t need to make sense. It doesn’t need to make things better. It just has to be filed under change.
So in honour of Mr. Trump and his scrapping ways, I wanted to share a list full of things that I would scrap if I could even if they are important. Buckle up, this post is going to be HUGE.
As October starts to creep into the picture, it’s hard to believe that school has been going full force for almost a month. For our boys, the days are long, but they are fun and busy. How do they unwind after a day of learning, playing and being busy – they come home, turn on the Netflix and zone out with a snack.
From roughly 5:45pm to 6:30pm most weekdays, our two are in front of the TV enjoying one of their fave shows and having a small snack before dinner. Their brains are mush, so it’s good to keep it light. Their tummies are grumbly, so it’s all about priming them for a good dinner.
This time is also great for mom and dad to actually talk about the day without being interrupted. All is great for 45 minutes. It is a peaceful time for everyone to change into comfy clothes and silently enjoy each other’s company.
You know in movies when they want to make you feel like time is quickly passing by speeding everything up? Kind of like fast forward on the PVR. That is how life is moving lately.
Nothing makes me feel this way more than watching the boys grow up in every way possible. It’s amazing and sad all at the same time. They will never be the way they were yesterday and that happens every single day.
I really love the ages that we have right now. Harry is almost seven and Charlie is almost four. It seems perfect on so many levels. They are boys. Not toddlers or whatever you want to call a three-year old. They are full on boys that have many moments of love, hate and everything in between.
It’s all going too fast. Summer was a blur. Back to school came out of nowhere it seemed.
Dad did the Jays win last night?
Did Joshie hit a home run?
Did Pillar make a crazy catch??
Can we go to another game?
These are all daily questions in our house. From April until October, the Toronto Blue Jays take over the chatter in our family and it was a perfect storm of events that got us to that point.
First, our boys are of the age where baseball becomes fun and interesting. Harry (6) went to his first game two years ago and has been hooked ever since.
Charlie (3) just wants to do and like what his big brother likes, so it was easy for him to become a Junior Jay.
They play in the backyard. Harry has entered the world of organized teeball and baseball. Their Nana has been doing her best to promote her Jays fandom for years. It was bound to stick at some point.
Second, we moved back to Toronto in 2014. That meant hearing about the Jays in the news more. That meant actually being able to go to the games. That meant getting caught up in the hype very easily.
Third, that hype. The Jays are good. They are really good. That makes everyone excited to the point where we watch almost every game on TV now. I certainly did not do that a few years ago. Forget House of Cards, my wife and I end up watching Buck and Pat.
So you combine seeing the game through the eyes of your kids, being close to the action and the team challenging for a World Series and that is how it all went down.
There are so many variables that go into the makeup of who your kid becomes. As much as you try to control the narrative, manipulate each path taken and add your two cents to each decision, there are aspects you just can’t control.
One such variable that shapes a kid and sets them on a path is where they start school. I am not talking daycare or preschool or babysitting, I am talking full day, school. Where your kid starts going to school can have a huge impact on their love of school, how they learn, how they develop and who they become. It is the starting point for who their friends are, what types of teachers they like/dislike, the start of real stress and worry and really, the start of them becoming an individual person.
