Avant Parenting Archives
-
Avant! Welcome to my parenting blog archives
As you can see by the dates below, this blog is no longer being updated. However, there’s lots of good stuff here, much of it as true now as when it was written. Please feel free to browse, or follow these links: One last piece of parenting advice: Enjoy today even if it’s a rough…
-
My yearly lecture: cover up!
OK, it’s official. Although the equinox is not happening for some time yet, it’s summer in California. We even had a lovely, sunny day on Memorial Day! Knowing that the rest of California would be on our beach, dropping their garbage, smoking their cigarettes, and running into each other with their boogie boards, we chose…
-
All in a week’s play
My son and I went down to LA so he could attend the state science fair for the second time. It’s quite an exciting thing, to see so many kids who are into science and are willing to put their work out there to be judged. Unfortunately, the state science fair’s listings don’t include the…
-
Abyss, the darkling beetle
One of the cool things about homeschooling is that you can incorporate your life into your learning… and your learning into your life. This is a case of the first instance. My nine-year-old daughter insisted on picking up a large black beetle when we were hiking at Pogonip and bringing it back with us. She…
-
Daddy’s little genius
There has been a small rash of these news stories recently: Kid gets extremely high score on IQ test, applies and gets into Mensa. Parents rush to news outlets to make sure Precious Petunia gets her 15 minutes of fame. I shouldn’t be so mean, but it really makes me feel mean. These aren’t 15-year-old…
-
Family documentation
Recently my son was reminiscing about his imaginary friend. This friend had appeared around when my son was two. I noticed that my son was walking around with his hand raised and his thumb and forefinger together, as if he were carrying something very small. When I asked him what it was, he said it…