No kids here, but I thought this was good advice for anybody who might be around kids in somebody's home. I often see people who have their grandchilden for the afternoon, for example. When they introduce me to one of them I always kneel down so I can come close to their eye level. The advice about voice and demeanor is good too. Thanks for this. Good tips on stories, too.
Any interaction between a man and a child is dangerous. I've been approached by concerned parents simply because I decided to sit in the bleachers at the park to watch a little league baseball game. I was alone and no one knew me so--STRANGER DANGER!
I explained that I was just walking by and felt a little nostalgic for my own little league days but that didn't satisfy anyone. When I observed that the park was a public place and I didn't need their permission to be there I was asked for ID. At that point I thought 'fuck it' and just left.
Dangerous indeed. I think I brought that up at the beginning. But play is the one way that men have to be close to their children. Anthropologists have been wondering about this for a long time. Why do western fathers play with their children while African fathers don't? Most seem to conclude that the reason is that African fathers spend much more time with their children each day while western dads go to work for long periods. The play gives them a chance to connect and compensate for their absence.
This does make me wonder now about moms who work and don't play with their children. Are we depriving children of an essential element of their development? Have men been ostracized from their children as a means to destroy the family? Interesting questions.
No kids here, but I thought this was good advice for anybody who might be around kids in somebody's home. I often see people who have their grandchilden for the afternoon, for example. When they introduce me to one of them I always kneel down so I can come close to their eye level. The advice about voice and demeanor is good too. Thanks for this. Good tips on stories, too.
Thanks Allen, glad you liked it!
Any interaction between a man and a child is dangerous. I've been approached by concerned parents simply because I decided to sit in the bleachers at the park to watch a little league baseball game. I was alone and no one knew me so--STRANGER DANGER!
I explained that I was just walking by and felt a little nostalgic for my own little league days but that didn't satisfy anyone. When I observed that the park was a public place and I didn't need their permission to be there I was asked for ID. At that point I thought 'fuck it' and just left.
Dangerous indeed. I think I brought that up at the beginning. But play is the one way that men have to be close to their children. Anthropologists have been wondering about this for a long time. Why do western fathers play with their children while African fathers don't? Most seem to conclude that the reason is that African fathers spend much more time with their children each day while western dads go to work for long periods. The play gives them a chance to connect and compensate for their absence.
This does make me wonder now about moms who work and don't play with their children. Are we depriving children of an essential element of their development? Have men been ostracized from their children as a means to destroy the family? Interesting questions.