Photo by Selestadienne

Raising Boys Blog is back.  Sorry for the break.  I hope to get back into the routine of daily posts after a few weeks of distractions have passed.  So, on to my topic for the day… Fantasy Baseball.

I was a huge baseball fan until the time that I decided that swimming would be the sport I would focus on as an athlete.  Little did I know that Being a swimmer would turn into me being a swimming coach.  Fortunately, these experiences led me back to a place where I could renew my enjoyment of baseball as an athletic director.  I love sitting around the lunch table and chat about our high school team.  Baseball is really a series of struggles.  Struggles happen between players on separate teams, players on the same team, and players within their own mind.  I also love the history and mystique of baseball.  There are no greater stories in American sports than those of the likes of Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, and on and on and on. 

Photo By Wendi_Andrews

When I was 12 years old, I carried around in a little plastic box all of my Cincinnati Reds’ baseball cards.  Many of those names wouldn’t register on the average baseball fan’s player list, like Buddy Bell, Bo Diaz, and Ron Oester, but they do for me.  I loved the Reds when I was that age.  We used to go the games as an extended family consisting of my grandfather, each of his six kids, and all of their kids.  There was no better ice cream in the world than the frost malts at Riverfront Stadium.  One of my favorite memories growing up is listening to the games with my Dad.  If the Reds won, they would shoot off fireworks which I could see from my living room.  I would run from the radio, jump on the chair and look out the window to see the fireworks.  I saw my share of fireworks from that window because by 1990, the Reds had won the World Series.

Baseball was a gift that I shared with my Dad and my Grandfather.  I enjoyed playing catch with my Dad and being excited about my Reds.  This is something I want to share with my son.  We have been to a few Diamondbacks games but he is still a bit too young to appreciate baseball but it is not too early to plant the seeds, much to the chagrin of my wife. 

As I mentioned earlier, I got away from baseball due to my participation in other sports but I recently became interested in it again.  I signed up for a Fantasy Baseball league on ESPN.com and quickly renewed my interest in baseball.  I then realized that in a few years, Fantasy Baseball would be a great way for my sonand I to have conversations about baseball.  There are three teachers at my school that all love baseball and we have many times caught ourselves chattering about players when we should be supervising students.  What a great way for a father to share baseball with his son.  It can start out as a teaching tool about baseball and can turn into a friendly competition between two boys of summer.  The father-son relationship will undoubtedly change from the time your toddler grows up to be a man, but something like Fantasy Baseball can be something they can share forever.

So as I gear up for my first foray into fantasy baseball, I have only one thing to say.  Batter Up!!

Photo by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton

The following article was written by my Uncle John about his recent experience making a hydroelectric dam with his 7th Grade boy.  John is the father of two boys and two girls.  He is one of three brothers to my mother and they did o good job of being my older brothers when I was little.  That means they generally terrorized me through trickery, tickling, and being sat on.  Sometimes they would even trick me into being sat on so they could tickle me.  That was the worst!!  It has been a few years since those days, but John and his kids still have Table Top Hockey Tournaments and I am pretty sure that John still has the parts to my Slot Car Set. Weren’t those the days, John?!? Anyway, here is John’s perspective about working on the science project with  his son.

The finished product

Reflections on a Science Project

The science project is over. The grading is complete. How was the experience for Danny? How was it for me? Tough questions.

When we started this project, I thought back to my 7th grade science project – The Steam Engine and How It Works. I still remembered the day of the presentations and the judging and winning 1st prize. But more importantly, I remember, like it was yesterday, how my dad helped me, guided me and taught me during the process. There was learning the physical jobs and techniques, such as soldering with a torch. But he showed me that sometimes you have to look beyond the obvious solution to a problem to get the results you want. For example, how do you get condensed milk out of the can you need for a steam turbine, without unsealing the top or bottom of the can. (You drill a hole in the side, and use the hole as part of the finished project.) To this day, I often think of that milk can lessonwhenI’m faced witha tough situation where the obvious solution isn’t necessarily the best solution. That’s the kind of experience I hoped to have with Danny.

The generator

Danny came to me with the idea that he wanted to build a hydroelectric dam for his project and see if different levels of water behind the dam would affect the amount of power produced at the generator at the bottom of the dam. This was a topic he had given some serious thought to. I was proud, make that VERY proud, to learn that he was inspired, in part, by my steam engine project. So that night we started planning what he wanted to do. There are a lot more instructions and rules to follow for a science project today than there were back when I made my project, so we had to get a lot of clarification from the teacher.

A large part of the experiment was to understand and follow the Scientific Method. This meant he had to propose a hypothesis for the experiment. He researched the hydroelectric dam, studied the electric generation process for the hypothesis. We drew sketches of how we would make it. We studied how a generator works and if we could make our own. He thought about how much water it would take. The wheels were turning in his head. I could see it. It was just as I hoped it would be – he wanted it to work.

The generator in action

The further Danny progressed in his research (and as I read along with him), I had the thought that this experiment might not produce the results he wanted. When I told him my concern, he looked at me and said, “That’s why we’re doing the experiment, Dad. It may not give us the results we expect, but it will give us results.” How often does a father get that kind of wisdom from his 13-year-old son? I was the one afraid of being disappointed about not getting the “right” answer. He was just looking for an answer. His insight and clarity of why we were doing this made the whole project all that much better.

So I had him do as much of the project as he could. He drilled. He caulked. He filled the bucket. He assembled the turbine generator. He learned how to use a voltmeter. He ran the experiment. He wrote the report. He presented the project to the class. He got the A+.

I like to think he had fun. I had a blast! I hope that if he gets to do a science project with one of his kids, he’ll look back on my involvement with the same gratitude that I have for my father.

—————————

Speaking of Hockey…

This is the venue for the GFHL and the rink is the same rink we played on when I was a kid. Hard to believe that the parts are all still there. Can't be the same pucks, can it?

This is an addition that we didn't have back in the day but a great addition to be sure. Three of John's kids as well as one of their friends is on that scoreboard. What a great way for a family to bond!!

Photo by Tourism Queensland

This post may not be about raising boys but it is about adventure and finding a job to fit the kind of life you want to lead.  I enjoy being an athletic director and a biology teacher.  I enjoy being a blogger.  But what do you think I really want to be?

Jimmy Buffett!!

Alas, I have found a way that does not require me to play overly simplistic music with clever lyrics.  What job is that you ask?  Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef!!! 

What a cherry gig this one is.  This “position” requires that you live in a beautiful home on an island on the Great Barrier Reef.  You must travel around the islands and do activities and then report about it either through videos, photos, or blog posts.

The pay isn’t too bad.  AUD $150,000 will probably take care of the bills back home during this six month assignment.  That is equilivant to around $100,000 US Dollars.  I would also get to take my family with me and that is the best part.  I can go on an extended vacation with my family, get paid, and have a great experience to share for the rest of my life.

I can’t imagine a better way to spend time with my son.  No worries about going to the office, paying for daycare and all that other crap that we are forced to do.  Just hanging out with my son would be all I need.

In order to apply, I have to make a video of why I would be a great candidate.  I will upload my video here so you all can see it.  Do I have much of a chance to get the job?  Probably not but what do I have to lose?

Click this photo to learn how to make this green volcano

The following post was one of those forwards that went around a few years ago but I wanted to put it up here because it is funny and scary at the same time.  Enjoy.

———————–

a) For those with no children – this is totally hysterical!
b) For those who already have children past this age, this is hilarious.
c) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.
d) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.
e) For those who have not yet had children, there is birth control.

The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas…
Things I’ve learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house
   4 inches deep.
2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them
   with roller blades, they can ignite.
3. A 3-year old Boy’s voice is louder than 200 adults
   in a crowded restaurant.
4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong
   enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a
   Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can,
   to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 x 20 ft. room.
5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.
   When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few
   times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn’t stop a baseball
   hit by a ceiling fan.
7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words “uh oh”,
   it’s already too late.
8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though
   a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
10. Certain Lego’s will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.
11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12. Super glue is forever.
13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still
    can’t walk on water.
14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15. VCR’s do not eject “PB & J” sandwiches even though TV
    commercials show they do.
16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on;
    plastic toys do not like ovens.
20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make
    earthworms dizzy.
22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox
    and brake fluid.
25. Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends,
    with or without kids.

Image by ALFRED BENWAY

Even though you are not allowed to refer to the “Big Game” by name if you are a member of the media, I am going to talk about the game here today. I want to discuss how to make the day where fathers fail at parenting more than any other day, myself included, better for your kids without missing anything big.

The game that the sports caster, first name John, last name rhymes with Aladdin, got in trouble for saying on Phoenix sports radio is today.  (Again, trying to avoid copyright and trademark infringement). 

Most fathers want to dissapear into a world where they do not have to pay attention to anything other than the tv, chips, and beer.  You used to be able to pay attention to your outside distractions during the commercials, but even that has gone by the wayside when advertisers put monkeys and hot women in the ads.  Now the only respite exhausted moms get is during the extended half time show.  But we can’t pull our eyes off of that anymore because there may be another wardrobe malfunction!  I think we may be safe this year but you never know!!!

Photo by Zé Rodrigo

So how do we give our wives a few downs of football enjoyment so they can at least go to the bathroom?  Take this opportunity to teach your son about the game.  What is cooler than a 4 year old who knows that the ballcarrier has to get past the yellow line before another round of excitement erupts in the living room?  Here are a few ideas on how to get your little guys interested in the football game and not pulling the dirt out of your neighbors potted plants.

1. Teach them the difference between a pass and a run.

A good friend of mine taught his daughter this lesson and she would predict, with about 60% accuracy, if it would be a throw or a pass.  Could she be the first female offensive coordinator?  Maybe, but she could sit through an entire West Virginia football game and that is no small feat.  Give it a shot with your kids.

Photo by nicepickcowher.com

2. On every big play when everyone is shouting and giving high fives, tell your boy to high five everyone in the room.

Not only does this get your boy in the manly spirit of the game, it will also give you the opportunity to run the the fridge and get another cold one.  I did this during the NFC Championships two weeks ago and all the guys there enjoyed that.  My son went to everyone in the room and high fived them.  He had to tug on some pant legs and tap some shoulders to get their attention, but he did it.

3. Encourage him to celebrate when big things happen.

Two weeks ago, my son would be off playing with something, but when he heard the ruckus, he ran in and jumped around and danced and fell on the floor.  He had no clue why we were cheering, but he played along.

4. Put him in the gear.

Nothing gets a kid ready for a sporting event than gearing up.  Give him a football to play with.  Put him in a jersey on game day and talk about watching the game.  Make it a big deal for the two of you and he will have a great time too.  Pick up some football gear at Amazon.com.

5. Just have fun.

We watch football because it is fun.  Our emotions swing with the momentum shifts of the game.  Big plays excite us and bad plays bring us down but the emotion of watching sports make it so much fun.  Keep the emotions in check so your son learns that despite the outcome, it is just a game.  Despite the outcome, we are going to wake up tomorrow and get ready for the NBA Season!!!

Enjoy the game and go Cards!!!  Sorry Steelers fans.  Please come back to my site…

Photo by raincoats_and_recipes

My wife picked up my son from school today and he was covered in dirt from head to toe.  Dirt on his shirt, in his shoes, on his knees, and everywhere else.  He had some paint on his shirt and a scratch on his chin. 

Some people would flip out that their kid was so dirty.  Fortunately, my wife is not one of them.  We love that he digs in the dirt and runs around scraping up his knees.  He is learning about the world and taking chances.  How much fun is that!

from Wikipedia

When I first started coaching swimming over the summer, I had a group of boys that were awesome.  They were fast and they were fun.  One of them in particular came to every practice covered in dirt.  Maybe that was why his parents had him swim.  He was just like Pig-Pen from Peanuts. 

That boy’s dirtiness was not why I enjoyed them so much.  It was their spirit.  They were free to have fun and play and goof off.  But, when it was time to get to work, those boys got it done.  And they were 8 year olds.  Somewhere in their support system, those boys were allowed to play in the dirt, jump off the swing at its highest point, and eat mud pies.  Video games and Ritalin are poor substitutes (Don’t think I don’t like video games, though) for playing war in the back yard and riding a bike around the neighborhood.

So please, take your kid to the local baseball field and roll him in the dirt.  Let him dig for crawdads in the creek.  Take him fishing and let him play with the worms.  He will love you for it.

Photo by graysonfamily

OK Dads and Sons.  We all know what a mess we would all be without Mommy around.  Piles of dirty clothes, eating Top Ramen every day and being late to everything would be just a few problems that would happen without her care and guidance. 

I can admit that I am a pretty big goof when it comes to things around the house, and though I don’t do it often enough, I try to show her my appreciation from time to time.  If I run to the store, I will sometimes pick up flowers or a little greeting card with puppies on it.  Pretty sappy stuff, I know.  But it lets her know that I am thinking about her and appreciate that she is my lovely wife and without her, I might not have gotten out of bed today.

So today, at the end of a busy day where my wife ran around Phoenix fighting traffic to get our son to me before she went to workout.  On our way home, we went past Target and I knew I needed to get a few things.  We ran into the store, got those items and then stopped at the greeting cards area.  He wanted to listen to the ones that play a song (Why Foreigner?), but we picked out some normal old cards to give to her.  So tonight when she got home, she got one from the both of us.  The fact that we did this together will teach him to be thoughtful of others.  It will help him score big points with the ladies

It is amazing how far a little acknowledgement goes.  My wife is really a super woman, minus the cape and tight spandex suit (which I have on order for her birthday).  She may not be saving the world, but she is keeping us down to earth!!  And we love her!

Photo By dolphingirl2009

Today my family took the next step into the communications revolution.  Skype and Webcams are the new tools of choice for us to talk to my parents back home.

You’re a Little Slow

Yes, I know.  Webcams have been around for quite some time and people have been using them for a while.  So, here is the back story.

My Dad can never seem to find a gift for my Mom for her birthday.  He called me and asked if he got us and her webcams, would I call her on it for her birthday.  Of course I said yes and four days later, I got a webcam in the mail from Amazon.  That night, I set it up and clandestinely called him to see if we could set up a time to test it out on Skype. 

Of course, Mom answered the phone so I slyly said “Hi Mom, can I talk to Dad real quick?  I have to ask him a question.”  She said that he already let the cat out of the bag.  And over a month before her birthday!! But I guess if you have that kick ass of a present, why wait?  He was proud of himself!!

The Big Unveiling

Of course, the whole idea was for her to get to see her grandson so I called them up, got connected and then chased him around the house so I could get him to our camera.  The experience turned out awesome.  My parents live on the other side of the country and get to see their grandson about twice a year.  I can say that my son’s performance on the call did not disappoint. 

He told them all about a book he read earlier in the day.  Something about Curious George riding a bike.  he was so excited we couldn’t keep up.  Then he sang a bit, got down ran around the house, got back up and chatted some more.  Then we had to say goodbye, so my Mom blew him a kiss.  Then he blew one back.  Then my Dad blew one and he blew one back.  So many kisses were blown that I thought the internet was going to clog.  Something about bandwidth comes to mind but we didn’t get to that point.  It was bath time. 

After bath, he came back, still wet, and blew some more kisses.  My wife got him dressed, he came back again, blew some more kisses and got to see my parents’ cat.  How cool is it for a kid, who already pretends to be a cat, to see a cat on the computer screen.   My Dad held up the cat to the camera, she gave a few meows, my son gave a few meows back and then came his final goodnight. 

All in all, I think the webcam idea was a hit.  Good job Dad!!  I can’t wait until the next call.  Who knows what they will talk about then.

The Primordial Soup

When I was a kid, I loved reading my uncle’s National Geographics.  My uncle would say it was because of the naked indigenous South Americans, but actually I loved looking at the pictures of the animals and the scenery.  As I got a little older, my Grandfather got me a subscription of my own, which he still renews to this day.  The most recent issue talks about evolution and, being a biology teacher, I can’t wait to take it to class.

From Four Legs To Two

This magazine is great to show your boys to help inspire their imagination and spirit of adventure.  I have seen boys play all day with plastic animals.  My little boy is already a zoo tycoon.  He takes his little plastic animals and builds cages for them out of his wooden blocks.  Today, he added a tour train and a carousel.  The Phoenix Zoo has those features.  Coincidence?  I think not!!

Opposable Thumbs

This year, we got a subscription to National Geographic for Little Kids.  Probably the coolest thing for him is that he actually gets something in the mail.  But the magazine features a specific animal and many of the articles and activities surround that animal.  Each issue comes with a few trading cards with different animals and other puzzles and such.  We really have fun with this little magazine.

Standing Upright

Of course, when your kid gets too old for the “Little Kids” edition, check out the “Kids” edition.  I have not yet seen this version of the magizine, but if it is anything like its father, and little brother, I will be picking it up in a few years for my son (and me).

Bigger Brains

So National Geographic has evolved from your grandaddy’s magazine to the magazine for the whole family.  Whats cool is that I can enjoy the “Big Kids” version while my son enjoys his “Little Kids” version.  Both of us are learning about our world and we are doing it together.  Can’t beat that!!