Back in the Day returns with an all new column this Wednesday, September 3rd!
Back In the Day... (June 11th)
It's
two weeks past the end of school, and each day my kids let me know that they
are bored.
The
first time was the day after classes let out. One son called my office no less
than three times to ask if he could play on my computer. "Why do you need my
computer when there is a perfectly good Wii in the house?" Certainly a logical
question, unless you are nine.
Then,
I come home to three bickering sons and so much testosterone-based attitude, it
makes being a dad that tender delight celebrated so gleefully each summer.
Ah,
yes, Father's Day—designed to compliment Mother's Day way back in 1908
(though not officially recognized in the U.S. until 1972). But to be honest,
it's the best holiday of the year behind Christmas and my anniversary.
--more--
NOTE:I'll be on summer hiatus until August. It's a welcome opportunity to recharge
and add to my batch of column ideas. Until then, have a great summer.
The summer cycle launches
This
week marks the end of school for many students. Certainly it's a rush because
there are no more teachers, no more books, no more dirty looks, so goes the
song – "School's out for Summer." The boost for us in Catholic School was
that we got to wear civies instead of our uniform white shirt and khaki pants,
or plaid skirt for the girls. The horror for me was that I had to wear
something that matched, which in the 70s was a challenge.
--more--
Of AV, the birds and the bees
Audio-visual,
or "AV" as we used to call it, has changed a lot. There is a TV in every
classroom at my sons' school, equipped with either a VCR or DVD player—or
both. It's standard equipment. Only once in grade school did I see a TV
permanently in the classroom. That was in second grade and I managed to break
it by climbing on the cart and pulling the whole thing over. That cost Dad
money to replace it, and me in terms of sitting ability. Otherwise, the only
time a TV was wheeled into a classroom was on the rare occasion of a live news
event. And back in the day, AV
itself was an event.
We all
remember filing into our classrooms for another day of droning from a teacher,
with the sound of an oscillating fan muffling the tap and scratch of chalk as
the teacher scribbled on the blackboard. But when you walked in and saw a screen
set on a tripod and that old gray, bulky Bell & Howell projector on a cart
set in the center aisle half way back—it was filmstrip time, baby. Not
quite as good as a day off—though it was close.
--more--
The lure of wheels--from skateboards to Ripstiks
Up and down any street where children live, and you are apt to see one riding a
Ripstik or a Wave. What are they? These are caster boards, meaning funky,
articulated boards with two casters for wheels—loosely described as
inline skateboards.
It's quite a challenge to balance on a moving board where you can move your feet
individually on what look like two paddles connected by a four inch bar, all
while keeping balance over two wheels. I know this for a fact because the first
time I tried one I wound up looking up at the sky, laid out flat in the middle
of a street.
--more--
Chewing on changes in dentistry
For my sons, dental visits are a piece of cake. The dentist's office is a veritable playground laden with toys, children's books--even a train that chugs on a track throughout the whole suite. Helping reduce the jitters is the latest G-rated movie playing on screens located in almost every room.
Dental science has changed, too. They can put sealants on teeth, fending off cavities like never before. The fluoride comes in different flavors. And to cap it all off (no pun intended) my sons' dentist just knows how to put children at ease.
Tooth care was different back in the day when a poke in the eye with a sharp stick was almost preferable to seeing a dentist.
--more--
Copyright 2008 by David Falloure
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