Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Memory
Has anyone else noticed a remarkable memory in young children?
This past weekend my wife took our daughter to the Highland Games Scottish Festival. The next morning, she woke us up to basically recount the events of the day, from the 'bangers' that she ate to the men throwing logs (caber toss) to the dogs pushing the sheep around (sheepdog trials) to the loud music (bagpipers). She was not responding to questions with 'Yes, I remember,' she was telling the story. And other neighbor kids, too, recall the finest of details several days after something has occurred, long after thoughts have gone in and out oy brain.
I find the opposite is true for me as an adult. I walk out of meetings and by the time I return to my desk have to think to recall what was decided. Or leave the house for a quick grocery run any by the time I get there can't recall the list of 5 items. Or have a thought to add to the blog and, wait, what was I going to say :)
I wonder if everything is so new and exciting to a child that it is memorable, while as adults we either have seen it so many times we are no longer interested, are so distracted with other things that we can not commit it to memory, or if there is truly a difference in memory capability? I personally think that the 2nd choice is most likely, but that often feels like a feeble excuse.
Anyway, that is all for today...
Monday, May 24, 2004
Introduction
Well, the first entry in the first blog....
Why am I blogging? I would say there are 2 reasons. The first, and most important, is that as a parent of a young daughter I wanted to share my experiences in watching her grow, learn and evolve into a being that hopefully more than just a parent can love. My wife and I did some reading on brain development and the importance of stimulating a child's brain in the first 3-5 years as all the neurons and synapses are firing and establishing critical connections. Having observed our daughter develop for 2 1/2 years now, I found that most of the 'stuff' one can buy for kids to make them 'smarter' is nothing more than marketing BS trying to sell yet another toy to anxious parents worried that their 6 month old is falling behind in the race for an Ivy League law degree. However, regardless of parental motives, I also feel that there is a mountain of truth in the importance of the first 5 years in developing a childs personality, creativity and intelligence. And, that a smarter and more confident child will grow up to be a happier adult more likely to help solve some of society's problems than create them.
My second reason is that, as one who works in the Internet 'space' helping organizations develop online communities, I see lots of potenital in blogs to establish meaningful connections. I wanted to create one as a personal expression of my experiences and feelings as a parent, as an outlet to maintain balance in a life of unbalancing demands, and to simply become involved and connected with a community of others (parents or not) fascinated by the development of young children. I am not sure if anyone else will read or follow this blog, or how long I will keep it going , but as my daughter has shown me, it is a fascinating and changing world out there and you need to participate in it!
Why am I blogging? I would say there are 2 reasons. The first, and most important, is that as a parent of a young daughter I wanted to share my experiences in watching her grow, learn and evolve into a being that hopefully more than just a parent can love. My wife and I did some reading on brain development and the importance of stimulating a child's brain in the first 3-5 years as all the neurons and synapses are firing and establishing critical connections. Having observed our daughter develop for 2 1/2 years now, I found that most of the 'stuff' one can buy for kids to make them 'smarter' is nothing more than marketing BS trying to sell yet another toy to anxious parents worried that their 6 month old is falling behind in the race for an Ivy League law degree. However, regardless of parental motives, I also feel that there is a mountain of truth in the importance of the first 5 years in developing a childs personality, creativity and intelligence. And, that a smarter and more confident child will grow up to be a happier adult more likely to help solve some of society's problems than create them.
My second reason is that, as one who works in the Internet 'space' helping organizations develop online communities, I see lots of potenital in blogs to establish meaningful connections. I wanted to create one as a personal expression of my experiences and feelings as a parent, as an outlet to maintain balance in a life of unbalancing demands, and to simply become involved and connected with a community of others (parents or not) fascinated by the development of young children. I am not sure if anyone else will read or follow this blog, or how long I will keep it going , but as my daughter has shown me, it is a fascinating and changing world out there and you need to participate in it!
