What The Future Looks Like This Sunday

1) Smart Glasses Reveal What It’s Like To Have Superpowers. (Or, a vision of the future through 3D immersive glasses by Atheer Labs.)

2) Will more lessons be like this in the future? Computer animation teacher creates A Warrior’s Dream, a Donnie Yen-Bruce Lee tribute matchup. The signature moves apparently, are spot-on.

3) More awesome stuff you can do with technology. (And a whole lotta patience. And waking up earlier than your kids for 25 years wait did I just type that oh yes I did no mean feat this). Dad records his kids every Christmas morning for 25 years. Funniest comment was when they either adopted “a shaggy 20-something or one of the kids now has a serious boyfriend” 😀

http://youtu.be/MZSISxbU09g

4) This was sad. This was sweet. Girl’s mother dies of cancer at age 31, just 2 years after marriage. Father and Daughter Recreate Father And Late Mother’s Wedding Photos In Her Memory.

Oh was that too unexpected, should I just bring the happy?

This thing they say about half empty – half full glasses and rejoicing over what we have. Q: When you looked at the picture, did you see the lost wife or the beautiful daughter?

That was me bringing the happy. (And honestly I didn’t immediately look at it that way either. But the pictures lead me to believe they did.)

Why do we often have to experience some form of sadness or loss, before we learn to truly appreciate what we do have? Thought for the week…

5) And now…

What dis?

Dis Rockstar being tickled and cuddled by friends when we went in to deliver his birthday cupcakes in school. I can only post the one miserable picture (though we have lots of nice pictures and the event was not at all miserable) because everything else has other kids in them. So instead of a separate post I’m just putting up the few things I had to mention here:

Yes those are cupcakes – but no, Rockstar didn’t want the ninja turtles on them – he wanted their WEAPONS

Cupcake Deelite can put pretty much any picture on cupcakes and that was the one he wanted. For good measure, I also used sparkler birthday candles this year (they were pretty cool but much harder to blow out.)

A-and here’s some of the stuff I sourced for his friends’ loot bags this year (have to say, I’m really enjoying shopping for these. Plus, I really hate throwing full-blown parties so I’m just really glad to have gotten out of it for one more year):

Boys’ bags:
– Kre-o Bumblebee Transformers Lego for 6+ years, found at Bangkok Paragon half off
– Cars pingpong paddle with ball attached
– Eraser with some encouraging saying (Rockstar loves erasers)
– monkey bag tag (just because it looked nice and I could buy 30 real cheap)
– little plastic top, tattoos, Christmas cracker, fancy sticky tape and party favor

Girls’ bags:
– Tattoos, monkey bag tag, Christmas cracker, party favor, top, fancy tape and eraser as above
– decorate-a-butterfly (somehow because the Miss loves butterflies)
– Hello Kitty hairclip/ other accessory by Annabelle of Korea (very good quality, on sale in Bangkok Paragon)
– little stuffed elephant keychain a-and….

Stamp ring from Rice that somehow escaped the earlier pic

And what was Little Miss doing?

Providing the caffeine…

Even as JD busy-bodied (while pretending not to get involved) all the stuff we were bringing (and which Kings valiantly lugged down to the car)

Even as I took the Miss to the playground beforehand to let off some steam

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6) And yes, I’m also squeezing a mini-book review in this one… Too much? So come back and read this twice. You know I actually put quite a lot of effort into this thing. This is what  I took away:

One of the most interesting things I read recently was how an IQ test is a very good indication of……… how well your child does on an IQ test 😀

(Why yes, I speed-read the book on a beach during a weekend getaway with Kings. What gave it away?)

…And how competitive parenting is detrimental to your child, because the brain is wired for survival first, grades (and everything else) second – when you competitive-parent, you are putting pressure on the brain to develop in certain aspects first, to the detriment of the areas your child’s brain is currently developing on its own accord – i.e. if you push too much to the detriment of a child’s need to feel secure the child learns less well because the brain devotes part of its resources into “survival” or avoiding your tiger-parenting wrath.

According to this book the most effective parenting style is demanding but supportive and caring – there have to be rules, and it is your job not just to enforce but to explain why they exist, promoting a child’s independence in complying with family values by their choosing to make the right choices, rather than instilling insecurity so they blindly obey just so they don’t “lose” your love. (Read bit above about triggering the brain’s “survival instincts”)

I mention all this because I heard about the toddler IQ tests in some parts of the States, and then on an unrelated note, several Korean friends told me on separate occasions about a popular parenting trend/ belief whereby they should not correct a younger child too much in case he/she loses confidence.

Anyway, I speed-read how nature and nurture are even more linked toward a child’s development and wellbeing than we would think – a child who isn’t also emotionally and socially well-adjusted isn’t as likely to perform academically either. That was interesting, because it’s not always we see the similarity between problem solving of the math kind and of the social kind, and yet apparently in the brain those neurons are hopelessly intertwined. Also how important your child’s friendships are.

(At which point I wanted to add – remember how Rockstar has a friend he bickers with almost daily in school? Us mums had discussed it and decided to tell our boys they would have to either reach a solution they both considered equitable, or lose a playmate. Just before Christmas break, Rockstar then came home with: “I chose what we play at break time (which he says is about 15 mins), and (friend) chose what we play at lunch (about 45). Because I wanted to go first. I don’t mind that it’s shorter (play time.) Friend wanted us to play his favorite games for longer so he wanted to choose our lunch play.” I like to imagine Master Solomon playdated this way before kingly duties got in the way.)

What’s my point? This: No parent can be an island. Oh, wish that we could be, because sometimes parents are just nuts. (I should know. I am a parent. Seriously, we’re crazy.)

From reading this book I realized the value of Parents You Can Have An Honest Conversation With. Because kids will be kids (the book also addresses “lying phases” and various others, which are part of the child’s social awareness development), and so you need a “friendly parent” or (2 or 3 or 4) to work with, to the benefit of all your kids. Because your kid needs friends. And your kid will have…….. issues. Surround yourself with parents who can see if it’s their child who’s acting up (and make sure you can see if it’s yours). Avoid those whose children can do no wrong in their own eyes. Because as much as you love your own kid, you should be able to recognize that the other parent probably also loves their child just as much – and you and other parent should be able to talk about things. Openly, honestly. You will need to.

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7) OK enough heavy stuff – Kings and Rockstars star in Look Mum No Hands:

Last pic for the last of the weekend involves Kings having picked up two koalas.

Have a good week ahead…