609. Measuring

The vehicles shown on the TV commercial are zooming through galaxies at speeds that would make light seem to be obstructing traffic. And young space cadets want these vehicles. So they ask, beg, nag, whine, save up allowance, or whatever they have to do to get the coveted items. Somehow, they just have to own…

Sometimes a person is said to be “good with kids.” I think the phrase implies some special talent or insight. A friend suggested that I write an article examining what makes people “good with kids,” and I searched my soul for “the” answer. I thought about my childhood, and tried to remember whether there were…

Not everything we say is for children’s ears. There are various reasons adults don’t want children to hear certain thoughts or communications. We may worry that they’ll be unnecessarily frightened, excited, angered, or embarrassed. We don’t want to spark those feelings, or deal with the behavior that usually accompanies them. Ideally, we find time to…

One of the ideas adults like to think of as wisdom is the idea of the brevity of life, together with the importance of taking things slowly: “Time flies.” “This, too, shall pass.” “Look before you leap.” “All good things take time.” That’s easy for us to say. But I’m not sure it counts as…

We don’t like to think we cause problems. We don’t like to think we even contribute to them. When we see problems, we like to solve them. If we’re not successful, we like to find someone to blame. Scapegoating has caused some of the ugliest chapters in history, but it’s also pretty common in everyday…

Many parents teach their children to believe some fundamental things. I can’t quite write that all parents do so; some parents don’t give much thought to what their children believe, and others try hard to avoid telling their children what to believe. But conscious instruction is not the only way to influence children’s thinking, so…