I think I'm raising a future war-gamer. :lol:
Carl has the most bizzare inventiveness when it comes to making up games. His latest is the Snake Game. The rules are as follows:
1. I am the Snake. I have to hold his 6' stuffed snake toy, and pretent to bite him.
2. Carl is the Snake Hunter. He has a "shooter" made of lego bricks which (he says) shoots "fire" or "oil".
3. The Snake has its lair on the couch. It can hide behind the cusions to avoid being killed by the "shooter". When that happens, the snake is "in its hole".
4. Carl's "house" is on the small carpet. When he's in his "house" he can "close the door", and the Snake can't bite him - it has to crawl away.
5. The game is played by Carl furiously "shooting" at the Snake. This involves vigourously thrusting the "shooter" in the direction of the Snake and making loud "Wham! Bang!" noises.
6. When Carl is shooting at the Snake, and the Snake is not in its hole, the Snake must die. This means it flails about going "aaagg!".
7. Two things can happen when the Snake is dying: either Carl's "shooter" falls apart because he's waving it about, or Carl starts laughing too hard to shoot.
8. In either case, that gives the Snake a chance to bite Carl.
9. Carl then has to retreat into his "house" to fix his shooter or to stop laughing. If he doesn't close the door in time, the Snake follows him into his house and bites him until I get tired of it.
10. The Snake then retreats into its hole and the game starts again.
The "skill" on the Snake's part is mostly in acting out the dying in an exaggerated enough manner to get Carl laughing; the skill on Carl's part is in retreating & closing the door in time to avoid being thoroughly bitten.
Parents - what games do you play with your kids, that the kids invent?
It is good to see a father spending so much time with his son. :hug:
Sadly, in the US, Carl would have gotten his father's shotgun from under the trailer's couch while the snake was hiding, and we'd have the Euroweenies discussing the result on Languish.
Quote from: Strix on April 23, 2009, 09:26:25 AM
It is good to see a father spending so much time with his son. :hug:
Sadly, in the US, Carl would have gotten his father's shotgun from under the trailer's couch while the snake was hiding, and we'd have the Euroweenies discussing the result on Languish.
I wonder if Carl would be able to lift a shotgun. He's pretty strong, but he's also pretty small, being only 3 - the leverage involved in holding a heavy gun horizontal might defeat him. :lol:
One way to find out!
Quote from: Razgovory on April 23, 2009, 10:15:27 AM
One way to find out!
I think I'd rather remain mired in ignorance on this particuilar point. :lol:
Get him one of those child versions of a Henry rifle. When the Fenians come around again, he'll be ready.
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h005_minibolt.cfm
:P
That's adorable. It reminds me how much fun I had when my little brother was that age, and I was a teenager.
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 23, 2009, 10:21:50 AM
Get him one of those child versions of a Henry rifle. When the Fenians come around again, he'll be ready.
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h005_minibolt.cfm
:P
A rifle for the kids?
You really *can* buy anything in America. :lol:
Mind you, I was shooting my dad's .22 when I was a kid ...
:thumbsup: Things like this make me so glad we had a boy rather than a girl, at least for our first kid.
So far, Tommy (at 15 months) hasn't come up with any games per se, but he does seem to have the basic concept of chasing someone/being chased. And he pretty much likes anything that should scare him-- if you sneak up on him & say "boo!" orhold him up really high, pretend to drop him, etc. he laughs like crazy. He also likes anything you can speak into that alters your voice in any way (paper towel roll, storage containers, etc.). He's obsessed with phones & remote controls. The Xbox 360 controller is his holy grail, it seems.
He's currently obsessed with dogs, cars, and Cookie Monster (thanks to youtube). His first word now when he wakes up is no longer "mama" but "cookie" :D
Wait until you are an evil spy and get beat up by the good spy. ;)
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 10:30:20 AM
:thumbsup: Things like this make me so glad we had a boy rather than a girl, at least for our first kid.
So far, Tommy (at 15 months) hasn't come up with any games per se, but he does seem to have the basic concept of chasing someone/being chased. And he pretty much likes anything that should scare him-- if you sneak up on him & say "boo!" orhold him up really high, pretend to drop him, etc. he laughs like crazy. He also likes anything you can speak into that alters your voice in any way (paper towel roll, storage containers, etc.). He's obsessed with phones & remote controls. The Xbox 360 controller is his holy grail, it seems.
He's currently obsessed with dogs, cars, and Cookie Monster (thanks to youtube). His first word now when he wakes up is no longer "mama" but "cookie" :D
Carl's very first game was to pretend that both he and I were spiders, and we would collect "spider food" under the covers (that was the "spider cave"). It turns out that spiders eat cookies. :D
My son was playing peek-a-boo with me at 8 months old. It was adorable. I would always play it with him than out of the blue he'd start grabbing his bib or cloth or anything he could lift and hide behind it than drop it quick and laugh.
Quote from: Malthus on April 23, 2009, 10:28:32 AM
A rifle for the kids?
You really *can* buy anything in America. :lol:
Mind you, I was shooting my dad's .22 when I was a kid ...
They've been making .22 rifles for kids for decades, though most .22's out there are generally small/light enough for kids in the first place.
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 11:07:33 AM
Quote from: Malthus on April 23, 2009, 10:28:32 AM
A rifle for the kids?
You really *can* buy anything in America. :lol:
Mind you, I was shooting my dad's .22 when I was a kid ...
They've been making .22 rifles for kids for decades, though most .22's out there are generally small/light enough for kids in the first place.
Heh, reminds me of one of the worst marketing gimmicks ever - there was a kiddie drink that came in a pistot-shaped container: you drank it by putting the barrel in your mouth ... and pulling the trigger. :lol:
my nephew is now into dragons. according to his authority:
" dragons eat carrots and they buy them at stores with green money that they keep in a bank."
he is now also wondering about the pictures of monsters in the rpg books. i.e. "daddy, what is that succubus doing?"
Quote from: saskganesh on April 23, 2009, 11:29:23 AM
my nephew is now into dragons. according to his authority:
" dragons eat carrots and they buy them at stores with green money that they keep in a bank."
he is now also wondering about the pictures of monsters in the rpg books. i.e. "daddy, what is that succubus doing?"
And so it begins. :D
I play dolls with my daughter. :blush: She says I'm her babies grandfather so I have to give them pennies. ;)
Yesterday I was playing COD, my daughter walks by and says: "Wow daddy, you shot him in the nuts!" :lol: :Embarrass: I wonder where she learns these things?
Quote from: lustindarkness on April 23, 2009, 01:08:31 PM
Yesterday I was playing COD, my daughter walks by and says: "Wow daddy, you shot him in the nuts!" :lol: :Embarrass: I wonder where she learns these things?
:lol:
Quote from: lustindarkness on April 23, 2009, 01:08:31 PM
I play dolls with my daughter. :blush: She says I'm her babies grandfather so I have to give them pennies. ;)
Yesterday I was playing COD, my daughter walks by and says: "Wow daddy, you shot him in the nuts!" :lol: :Embarrass: I wonder where she learns these things?
You are an American, It's part of her genetic code.
Quote from: lustindarkness on April 23, 2009, 01:08:31 PM
I play dolls with my daughter. :blush: She says I'm her babies grandfather so I have to give them pennies. ;)
Yesterday I was playing COD, my daughter walks by and says: "Wow daddy, you shot him in the nuts!" :lol: :Embarrass: I wonder where she learns these things?
:lmfao:
Yesterday, I was wondering how my 3 year old knew to make motions like cocking a pretend gun before firing it - I mean, hasn't he learned of double-action yet? ;)
Quote from: lustindarkness on April 23, 2009, 01:08:31 PM
I play dolls with my daughter. :blush: She says I'm her babies grandfather so I have to give them pennies. ;)
I'm glad I dodged that bullet. Hopefully I don't get shamed into playing dolls with my niece when she gets older :unsure:
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 03:04:31 PM
Quote from: lustindarkness on April 23, 2009, 01:08:31 PM
I play dolls with my daughter. :blush: She says I'm her babies grandfather so I have to give them pennies. ;)
I'm glad I dodged that bullet. Hopefully I don't get shamed into playing dolls with my niece when she gets older :unsure:
Oh please. That shit ain't that bad. You pretend to drink tea while sitting with a Teddy bear and and a giant duck.
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 03:04:31 PM
I'm glad I dodged that bullet. Hopefully I don't get shamed into playing dolls with my niece when she gets older :unsure:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: girl toys tend to suck. If I never see another multi-coloured pony or Disney Princess I'll be happy.
My poor brother had two girls, so I guess I'll be seeing them a lot ... :lol:
Made bows and arrows for my girls last weekend. :)
Quote from: Malthus on April 23, 2009, 03:08:02 PM
I've said it before and I'll say it again: girl toys tend to suck. If I never see another multi-coloured pony or Disney Princess I'll be happy.
I'll step in and will respectfully disagree.
Ahh, but my daughter has a brother 7 years older and 2 cousins that are boys, so she has plenty of cool toys to play with too. But I am glad she likes her baby dolls, shows she has that motherly instinct.
Quote from: lustindarkness on April 23, 2009, 03:12:24 PM
But I am glad she likes her baby dolls, shows she has that motherly instinct.
What if she doesn't want to be a mother?
Quote from: syk on April 23, 2009, 03:08:41 PM
Made bows and arrows for my girls last weekend. :)
And Carl loves to cook - a skill that will serve him well in future years if he keeps it up. ;)
Quote from: garbon on April 23, 2009, 03:11:02 PM
I'll step in and will respectfully disagree.
I can't say how happy I am that Carl likes cool toys - like big cars, things that fly, robots and guns. :D
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 23, 2009, 03:07:13 PM
Oh please. That shit ain't that bad. You pretend to drink tea while sitting with a Teddy bear and and a giant duck.
:bleeding: I'll do it if I have to when the time comes, but the foam sword fights I'm getting into with Tommy are 1000x more fun.
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 03:04:31 PM
I'm glad I dodged that bullet. Hopefully I don't get shamed into playing dolls with my niece when she gets older :unsure:
Somebody's uncomfortable with his masculinity! :D
Quote from: Malthus on April 23, 2009, 03:52:59 PM
I can't say how happy I am that Carl likes cool toys - like big cars, things that fly, robots and guns. :D
Have played with both sets, I think both are "cool" for what they are. :)
Of course, my sisters and I rarely did anything peaceful like have tea or had our barbies just chat and shop. Usually, everything became a free-for-all deathmatch (not unlike comic crossover arcs) where black ken was assaulted by micro machines, my little pony stomped on polly pocket, and the ninja turtles beat down on the teddy bear family. :blush:
My girls like to play with "girly" stuff (My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, etc) but they do so in unorthodox ways - they tend to make giant amusement park type courses for them to get thrown around on and so forth. They also like to watch me play Left 4 Dead. :D
Quote from: fahdiz on April 23, 2009, 04:08:24 PM
Somebody's uncomfortable with his masculinity! :D
Probably too comfortable, actually :)
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 04:16:23 PM
Probably too comfortable, actually :)
Not if you're worried that dollies are going to sap your precious bodily fluids, man. :D
Quote from: fahdiz on April 23, 2009, 04:17:13 PM
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 04:16:23 PM
Probably too comfortable, actually :)
Not if you're worried that dollies are going to sap your precious bodily fluids, man. :D
Now *those* sorts of games sound amusing, if not exactly family fare. ;)
Quote from: fahdiz on April 23, 2009, 04:17:13 PM
Not if you're worried that dollies are going to sap your precious bodily fluids, man. :D
I'm not worried-- I just find dolls & girly stuff foreign & utterly dull. I came from a house with 3 boys & no girls, and had no female cousins anywhere close to my age.
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 04:21:02 PM
I'm not worried-- I just find dolls & girly stuff foreign & utterly dull.
You wouldn't, probably, if they were your own daughters playing with them. It's not like I played with dolls growing up either, but I didn't think "oh no, I'm having a girl - now I'm going to have to play with My Little Pony! Why have you forsaken me, God?"
Quote from: fahdiz on April 23, 2009, 04:24:02 PM
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 04:21:02 PM
I'm not worried-- I just find dolls & girly stuff foreign & utterly dull.
You wouldn't, probably, if they were your own daughters playing with them. It's not like I played with dolls growing up either, but I didn't think "oh no, I'm having a girl - now I'm going to have to play with My Little Pony! Why have you forsaken me, God?"
You already know why he forsook(forsake ?, forceps? )you!
Quote from: katmai on April 23, 2009, 04:26:43 PM
You already know why he forsook(forsake ?, forceps? )you!
Exactly! I have far greater problems than some occasional Littlest Pet Shop time with my youngest. :D
Quote from: fahdiz on April 23, 2009, 04:24:02 PM
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 04:21:02 PM
I'm not worried-- I just find dolls & girly stuff foreign & utterly dull.
You wouldn't, probably, if they were your own daughters playing with them. It's not like I played with dolls growing up either, but I didn't think "oh no, I'm having a girl - now I'm going to have to play with My Little Pony! Why have you forsaken me, God?"
Heh, little girls have in general much to recommend them compared to boys: for one, on average they develop more quickly such things as language skills; for another, they tend to be less boisterous and more obedient (on average! Individual experience will vary).
OTOH, boys are attracted to the better toys, in general. :contract:
There are plusses and minuses to both - but either is good.
I forgot about Littlest Pet Shop!
Another parent of an older girl was bitching to me about the cost of this particular line of dolls:
http://www.americangirl.com/
Apparently it isn't just a set of dolls - it's a whole lifestyle, complete with movies, books, hairdressers, restaurants, parties - which parents are (of course) expected to mortgage their houses to fund.
This promotion in particular seems - excessive:
http://www.fourseasons.com/email_promotion/crc_pg_0808/
Nothing wrong with dolls and teddies, it's when they come with a pre-defined world that they become the spawn of Satan :mad:
Used to have a lot of fun with my sister (4 years younger than me) with her dolls and teddies. Of course, I was in charge, so the storylines involved warfare and destruction (eg the teddy bears getting drafted to fight an evil doll conspiracy).
Malthus, it's not just the money for stuff like you have linked above; it's the closing of imaginative avenues of play that is the worst thing.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on April 24, 2009, 10:37:44 AM
Nothing wrong with dolls and teddies, it's when they come with a pre-defined world that they become the spawn of Satan :mad:
Used to have a lot of fun with my sister (4 years younger than me) with her dolls and teddies. Of course, I was in charge, so the storylines involved warfare and destruction (eg the teddy bears getting drafted to fight an evil doll conspiracy).
Malthus, it's not just the money for stuff like you have linked above; it's the closing of imaginative avenues of play that is the worst thing.
Heh, its the whole immersive lifestyle thing which closes off the imagination - and is also the reason the company can charge a fortune for this stuff. :lol:
I have no worries about Carl on this score at least - so far, he can suck in vast amounts of stuff from movies and books, and re-format it in his imagination into unique Carl-esque gameplay. The things he sees devinitely affects him, but not in any predictable manner.
Last night we read a story featuring a crab as a background illustration - this morning he insisted he was "Crab-Boy", and his pijamas were his "shell". We got him to put on his regular clothes by explaining that crabs grow by molting. :lol:
Funny post.
Quote from: Malthus on April 24, 2009, 10:50:24 AM
Last night we read a story featuring a crab as a background illustration - this morning he insisted he was "Crab-Boy", and his pijamas were his "shell". We got him to put on his regular clothes by explaining that crabs grow by molting. :lol:
Like a somewhat jollier version of Kafka's
Metamorphosis :lol:
Yes, I think many children are very resistant to the programming and retain their imaginative powers.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on April 24, 2009, 11:02:23 AM
Quote from: Malthus on April 24, 2009, 10:50:24 AM
Last night we read a story featuring a crab as a background illustration - this morning he insisted he was "Crab-Boy", and his pijamas were his "shell". We got him to put on his regular clothes by explaining that crabs grow by molting. :lol:
Like a somewhat jollier version of Kafka's Metamorphosis :lol:
Yes, I think many children are very resistant to the programming and retain their imaginative powers.
Well, the not-so-pleasant part was that he illustrated the "Crab-Boy" point by grabbing my cheeks and pinching. Hard.
Kid has surprisingly strong fingers, I'll give him that. I also note he never tries that stuff on mom! :lol:
Well here's something that will get a reaction from you guys: I caught my nephew with his sister's doll a while back-- I decided to correct the situation. I've further taken it upon myself to help toughen him up. He is my godson, after all.
Frau Spiess agrees with me (surprisingly, since she came from a female-dominated house) that dolls are verboten for Tommy. Not that I worry-- Tommy is a tough kid (maybe *too* tough-- we'll see).
Last night he grabbed a marinating brush from the kitchen and one of those plastic plunger things they use in Holland/Belgium to press oranges/lemons in wheat beer to chase the wife & me around the house in a menacing manner. He even growled, for added effect.
You got what you deserved then. ;)
Little Tommy wanted to be a hairdresser, now you've convinced him to be a bully.
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 11:28:09 AM
Well here's something that will get a reaction from you guys: I caught my nephew with his sister's doll a while back-- I decided to correct the situation. I've further taken it upon myself to help toughen him up. He is my godson, after all.
Frau Spiess agrees with me (surprisingly, since she came from a female-dominated house) that dolls are verboten for Tommy. Not that I worry-- Tommy is a tough kid (maybe *too* tough-- we'll see).
Last night he grabbed a marinating brush from the kitchen and one of those plastic plunger things they use in Holland/Belgium to press oranges/lemons in wheat beer to chase the wife & me around the house in a menacing manner. He even growled, for added effect.
Meh if Carl wants to play with a doll, I could not care less - he does in fact do so occasionally, when visiting his female cousins. He even participated in a tea party. And he loves traditional female pursuits like cooking (particularly cookies!).
But I can just tell that when he's playing with dolls among the lego blocks, in his mind he's seeing the doll as a 100 foot tall monster, smashing through lego houses like Godzilla. I don't *make* him be that way, he just *is*. :lol:
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 11:29:35 AM
You got what you deserved then. ;)
Little Tommy wanted to be a hairdresser, now you've convinced him to be a bully.
Even worse, he's a cannibal. The brush was for marinating, not hairstyling :o
Thankfully, I used up all the barbecue sauce last weekend.
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 11:38:10 AM
Even worse, he's a cannibal. The brush was for marinating, not hairstyling :o
Thankfully, I used up all the barbecue sauce last weekend.
I was using the doll incident as the connection to hairdressing (as apparently throwing around stereotypes can be fun). :P
In terms of personality and sexual orientation and the like - from what I've seen, a lot of that stuff is simply innate. Parents who think they can control it by deciding what their kids get tio access are probably just deluding themselves.
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 11:40:33 AM
I was using the doll incident as the connection to hairdressing (as apparently throwing around stereotypes can be fun). :P
Ah. The doll incident was with my nephew, though.
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 11:44:30 AM
Ah. The doll incident was with my nephew, though.
Oh, I didn't realize Tommy was different. :blush:
Quote from: Malthus on April 24, 2009, 11:43:22 AM
In terms of personality and sexual orientation and the like - from what I've seen, a lot of that stuff is simply innate. Parents who think they can control it by deciding what their kids get tio access are probably just deluding themselves.
Disagree. There is some 'innateness' to it for sure, but parents can definitely influence things to a certain degree-- and I think that varies by child. My concern for my nephew is not for his sexual orientation; I just want him to be the way I think he should be :P
For example, I think my nephew has been coddled a bit too much by his mom. Don't get me wrong, he's a great kid. But there are times I feel like I need to step in to help toughen him up a little bit.
He's two & a half years old & is still allowed to have a pacifier. My sister in law & my brother both try the "good cop" approach to dissuade him from continuing to use it, which doesn't work. Since nobody else from the family will step up, I play bad cop & forcibly take away his binkie.
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 11:50:17 AM
Oh, I didn't realize Tommy was different. :blush:
I *am* from West Virginia, but my nephew & son are actually two different people :P
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 11:53:28 AM
I *am* from West Virginia, but my nephew & son are actually two different people :P
You didn't mention that Tommy was your son in that post. :P
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 11:55:53 AM
You didn't mention that Tommy was your son in that post. :P
Not in that particular post, no. But the post was contextual to my other posts :)
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 11:57:11 AM
Not in that particular post, no. But the post was contextual to my other posts :)
I generally don't pay that much attention. :(
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 11:58:20 AM
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 11:57:11 AM
Not in that particular post, no. But the post was contextual to my other posts :)
I generally don't pay that much attention. :(
Carry on, then :D
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 11:59:14 AM
Carry on, then :D
I mean, if I followed the life of my mortal enemy too closely, some might think I just have a man crush on him.
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 12:01:40 PM
I mean, if I followed the life of my mortal enemy too closely, some might think I just have a man crush on him.
We all know you do. And stop looking at my ass! :mad:
(this is where you snap your fingers in the air & tell me I couldn't afford you)
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 12:03:25 PM
(this is where you snap your fingers in the air & tell me I couldn't afford you)
I'd rather file my nails and roll my eyes. Less energy; more productive.
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 12:13:47 PM
I'd rather file my nails and roll my eyes. Less energy; more productive.
I get enough of that at home, but thnx anyway.
Do you all buy gender-related toys ?
I play pirates, thieves, vikings (they know about vikings, for some reasons, which I suspect are related to this: http://www.collectobil.com/catalogue/items/3150.htm) with my little nieces. They tend to come up with the same kind of amusing «rules» on all of this make-belief plays. Last Halloween, the eldest couldn't decide which costume she should wear so she ended up going as «a Pirate-Princess».
Quote from: Oexmelin on April 24, 2009, 12:17:26 PM
Do you all buy gender-related toys ?
Mostly gender-neutral, actually, apart from sports stuff.
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 12:25:44 PM
Mostly gender-neutral, actually, apart from sports stuff.
:huh: Girls don't play sports? Mine do...
Never had any brothers or really close male friends when I was little (until about 3rd grade, at least). Always felt like I was missing out.
Quote from: Oexmelin on April 24, 2009, 12:17:26 PM
Do you all buy gender-related toys ?
I play pirates, thieves, vikings (they know about vikings, for some reasons, which I suspect are related to this: http://www.collectobil.com/catalogue/items/3150.htm) with my little nieces. They tend to come up with the same kind of amusing «rules» on all of this make-belief plays. Last Halloween, the eldest couldn't decide which costume she should wear so she ended up going as «a Pirate-Princess».
Not really. We tend to buy the toys Carl wants, which are mostly typical boy-stuff. But he also wanted a play-doh kitchen set, which is more typically girl stuff.
He has very little interest in stuffed toys or dolls, except as foot-soldiers in his games.
Quote from: fahdiz on April 24, 2009, 12:45:35 PM
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 12:25:44 PM
Mostly gender-neutral, actually, apart from sports stuff.
:huh: Girls don't play sports? Mine do...
Do yours play football & baseball? Did they have those things when they were a year old?
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 01:27:34 PM
Do yours play football & baseball? Did they have those things when they were a year old?
Yours doesn't play football or baseball at a year old either. :D And they had squishy, soft toys which resembled footballs, baseballs, soccer balls, and basketballs at a very young age, yes.
The girls play softball and tee-ball, respectively.
Quote from: fahdiz on April 24, 2009, 01:34:11 PM
Yours doesn't play football or baseball at a year old either. :D
They play softball and tee-ball, respectively.
He will play. Believe me, he will play.
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 01:40:24 PM
He will play. Believe me, he will play.
:huh: I'm not questioning your devotion to sports; I'm questioning your notion that sports toys are not gender-neutral.
Quote from: fahdiz on April 24, 2009, 01:45:09 PM
:huh: I'm not questioning your devotion to sports; I'm questioning your notion that sports toys are not gender-neutral.
Question it if you want, but to me it's pretty simple-- boys tend like football & baseball more than girls do. Related to this, haven't you noticed that there is a ton of sports-themed clothing for baby/toddler boys & practically none for girls in the same age groups?
FWIW, it's great that your girls are involved in sports. I would encourage it as well if I had girls.
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 01:59:40 PM
Question it if you want, but to me it's pretty simple-- boys tend like football & baseball more than girls do.
I wouldn't dispute that.
QuoteRelated to this, haven't you noticed that there is a ton of sports-themed clothing for baby/toddler boys & practically none for girls in the same age groups?
If babies and toddlers did their own clothes-shopping, there might be something to your argument. :D
QuoteFWIW, it's great that your girls are involved in sports. I would encourage it as well if I had girls.
Sports teach valuable skills and lessons regardless of the sex of the participant. The girls' grandmother (the ex's mom, not my mom) is a big proponent of that whole "girls shouldn't like sports and boys shouldn't like making craft-type stuff" bullshit, and I've fought that influence over my kids every step of the way. I'd like my kids to be tough, to think critically and strategically, to value competition, to value practice, and to experience performing a challenging task as part of a team whether they're boys or girls. Likewise, if I had had boys, I'd want them to be able to sew buttons on their clothes, know how to cook, and figure out how to recycle stuff they'd otherwise discard in clever ways.
Fact, playing with dolls makes one weak.
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 02:44:52 PM
Fact, playing with dolls makes one weak.
I hope you're not suggesting I'm saying that.
Quote from: fahdiz on April 24, 2009, 02:46:02 PM
I hope you're not suggesting I'm saying that.
No, derspeiss said it. I just wanted you to be aware that your girls nor I can ever be tough. :(
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 02:46:59 PM
Quote from: fahdiz on April 24, 2009, 02:46:02 PM
I hope you're not suggesting I'm saying that.
No, derspeiss said it. I just wanted you to be aware that your girls nor I can ever be tough. :(
Aww, man! That sucks! :(
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 02:46:59 PM
I just wanted you to be aware that your girls nor I can ever be tough. :(
Well half of that statement is correct at least...
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 02:46:59 PM
No, derspeiss said it. I just wanted you to be aware that your girls nor I can ever be tough. :(
I'm sure his girls will be fine. Not that wimmen have to be tough the same way guys do, mind you.
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 03:15:50 PM
I'm sure his girls will be fine. Not that wimmen have to be tough the same way guys do, mind you.
How do guys have to be tough in ways women don't have to be tough?
Quote from: fahdiz on April 24, 2009, 03:32:55 PM
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 03:15:50 PM
I'm sure his girls will be fine. Not that wimmen have to be tough the same way guys do, mind you.
How do guys have to be tough in ways women don't have to be tough?
It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.
Quote from: Malthus on April 24, 2009, 03:43:46 PM
It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.
:lol:
Quote from: fahdiz on April 24, 2009, 03:32:55 PM
How do guys have to be tough in ways women don't have to be tough?
Everything from business dealings to dealing with a traffic ticket.
I know we're not going to see eye to eye on this ;)
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 03:47:24 PM
Everything from business dealings to dealing with a traffic ticket.
An ugly girl might need to be tough (if one is to follow your scenario parameters).
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2009, 03:53:08 PM
Quote from: derspiess on April 24, 2009, 03:47:24 PM
Everything from business dealings to dealing with a traffic ticket.
An ugly girl might need to be tough (if one is to follow your scenario parameters).
Depends on how you look at it. I would think they would need to be even nicer in a lot of situations.
There is an argument that men are too tough for the modern namby-pamby world, which is why we die a few years younger than the womenfolk :huh:
You know the sort of thing, we go to meetings and are polite, pay our taxes and so on...........when really we want to brain the fuckers with a flint hand-axe and feast on the marrow-jelly in their bones :mad:
But we can't, so get stressed and die of heart conditions instead :(
Last night the wife was getting ready to fold clothes; I had generously dumped them on the sofa next to her.
Tommy, who had been playing with his toy lawnmower, comes up & apparently decides all the clothes need to go back in the basket (which I put back on the other side of the room). So he goes up & takes all the clothes, one article by one (even individual socks) and carefully places them in the basket. It took him close to 10 minutes, but he was persistent and stranglely focused on the task.
It was cute but also a little weird to see him methodically work his way through the pile; I had never seen him show so much focus in his 15 months.
Anyway, once he was done, he proceeded to empty the basket by throwing all the clothes on the floor. This part was less of a surprise, because he's developed an annoying habit of throwing clothes, papers, etc. to the floor whenever he sees them where they are actually supposed to be :rolleyes:
Once all that was done & the wife started folding clothes, we got a kick out of watching Tommy try to imitate her. He's about as bad at it as I am.
Quote from: Malthus on April 23, 2009, 09:19:39 AM
I think I'm raising a future war-gamer. :lol:
That's too cute! :lol:
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 23, 2009, 03:07:13 PM
Quote from: derspiess on April 23, 2009, 03:04:31 PM
Quote from: lustindarkness on April 23, 2009, 01:08:31 PM
I play dolls with my daughter. :blush: She says I'm her babies grandfather so I have to give them pennies. ;)
I'm glad I dodged that bullet. Hopefully I don't get shamed into playing dolls with my niece when she gets older :unsure:
Oh please. That shit ain't that bad. You pretend to drink tea while sitting with a Teddy bear and and a giant duck.
If I knew what you looked like this would be a hilarious mental image. :lol:
Quote from: Malthus on April 24, 2009, 10:31:58 AM
Another parent of an older girl was bitching to me about the cost of this particular line of dolls:
http://www.americangirl.com/
Apparently it isn't just a set of dolls - it's a whole lifestyle, complete with movies, books, hairdressers, restaurants, parties - which parents are (of course) expected to mortgage their houses to fund.
This promotion in particular seems - excessive:
http://www.fourseasons.com/email_promotion/crc_pg_0808/
When I was a kid I always wanted the doll but I couldn't get it but I really loved the books. It seems American Girl has really blown up since then though.
This morning was pretty fun - Carl woke up, ran into our room, hopped up into our bed and dived under the covers - and proceeded to relate what I assume was a dream he had.
It was all about a giant boat he owned, and in this boat there was everything he could want - on top of the boat there was cranes and construction equipment; the boat had cannon up front for shooting "bad guys"; and down below there were rooms filled with "books for daddy, tape [?] for mommy, and toys for me".
Well sounds like you know what to get the wife for her birthday.
Quote from: Razgovory on May 01, 2009, 10:15:41 AM
Well sounds like you know what to get the wife for her birthday.
Even better, when Carl was playing Tintin, he cast me as the Captain - and my wife as the dog, Snowy. :lol:
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:17:05 AM
Even better, when Carl was playing Tintin, he cast me as the Captain - and my wife as the dog, Snowy. :lol:
Who did he cast as the African sub-humans?
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:17:05 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on May 01, 2009, 10:15:41 AM
Well sounds like you know what to get the wife for her birthday.
Even better, when Carl was playing Tintin, he cast me as the Captain - and my wife as the dog, Snowy. :lol:
:lol:
Quote from: PDH on May 01, 2009, 10:21:38 AM
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:17:05 AM
Even better, when Carl was playing Tintin, he cast me as the Captain - and my wife as the dog, Snowy. :lol:
Who did he cast as the African sub-humans?
He was a trifle vague on that point. To him, so far at least, antagonists are simply "bad guys" and he doesn't differentiate between 'em much - some are "monsters" and others are "aliens", with the occasional "crab" or "postman" thrown in just to keep things interesting. :lol:
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:24:25 AM
He was a trifle vague on that point. To him, so far at least, antagonists are simply "bad guys" and he doesn't differentiate between 'em much - some are "monsters" and others are "aliens", with the occasional "crab" or "postman" thrown in just to keep things interesting. :lol:
Has he been chatting with Raz?
On a side note, I really must say that kids keep getting better and better as they get older. I found newborns no fun at all, and not even particularly cute - but 3 year olds make life more exciting all around. :D If only I had the energy to play for 12 hours straight like Carl does. Being 3 is great but being over 40 sucks.
I'm thinking of doing an illustrated version of Carl's ship for his bed-time story next week.
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:24:25 AM
with the occasional "crab" or "postman" thrown in just to keep things interesting. :lol:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbberjoe.free.fr%2Fimages%2FTintin%2Falbums%2FTintin_Le_crabe_aux_pinces_d%2527or.jpg&hash=c992c036afcfe85d78d85102c369da73a966fe4d) ?
Quote from: Oexmelin on May 01, 2009, 10:37:08 AM
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:24:25 AM
with the occasional "crab" or "postman" thrown in just to keep things interesting. :lol:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbberjoe.free.fr%2Fimages%2FTintin%2Falbums%2FTintin_Le_crabe_aux_pinces_d%2527or.jpg&hash=c992c036afcfe85d78d85102c369da73a966fe4d) ?
That could easily be where he gets it from - or at least re-enforces it, with his love of all things Tintin. He was talking of crabs before he got into his Tintin phase - their habits (of pinching) are something he loves to imitate. :lol:
The fun will steeply decline in about 10 years. Cute little Carl will be harrasing you for the keys to the hover car so he can take his girlfriend to the beachs of Hudson Bay.
Quote from: Razgovory on May 01, 2009, 12:10:10 PM
The fun will steeply decline in about 10 years. Cute little Carl will be harrasing you for the keys to the hover car so he can take his girlfriend to the beachs of Hudson Bay.
At 13? He'll be shit out of luck. :lol:
But yeah, the teenage years are likely to be a trial.
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 12:11:31 PM
But yeah, the teenage years are likely to be a trial.
Not everything has to do with the law. :rolleyes:
Quote from: garbon on May 01, 2009, 12:52:37 PM
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 12:11:31 PM
But yeah, the teenage years are likely to be a trial.
Not everything has to do with the law. :rolleyes:
Speaking of someone being a trial ... :lol:
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 01:07:04 PM
Speaking of someone being a trial ... :lol:
I was the easiest child that my parents raised. :goodboy:
Quote from: garbon on May 01, 2009, 02:15:34 PM
I was the easiest child that my parents raised. :goodboy:
Saved it all up for us, eh? ;)
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 02:28:52 PM
Saved it all up for us, eh? ;)
Yes, I foresaw that one day there would be a place called Languish where everyone would be soft, namby pambys (aka perfect targets for my blindly fueled rage). :smarty:
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:24:25 AM
Quote from: PDH on May 01, 2009, 10:21:38 AM
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 10:17:05 AM
Even better, when Carl was playing Tintin, he cast me as the Captain - and my wife as the dog, Snowy. :lol:
Who did he cast as the African sub-humans?
He was a trifle vague on that point. To him, so far at least, antagonists are simply "bad guys" and he doesn't differentiate between 'em much - some are "monsters" and others are "aliens", with the occasional "crab" or "postman" thrown in just to keep things interesting. :lol:
Postman?
Quote from: jimmy olsen on May 01, 2009, 02:32:24 PM
Postman?
Perhaps it is an atavistic hatred for crappy Kevin Costner movies.
Quote from: garbon on May 01, 2009, 02:32:11 PM
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 02:28:52 PM
Saved it all up for us, eh? ;)
Yes, I foresaw that one day there would be a place called Languish where everyone would be soft, namby pambys (aka perfect targets for my blindly fueled rage). :smarty:
If only your parents had let you throw that tantrum in McDonalds. :(
Quote from: Malthus on May 01, 2009, 02:35:59 PM
If only your parents had let you throw that tantrum in McDonalds. :(
I woulda got my ass beat. :(
Quote from: garbon on May 01, 2009, 02:15:34 PM
I was the easiest child that my parents raised. :goodboy:
Only child?
Quote from: Judas Iscariot on May 02, 2009, 12:31:36 PM
Only child?
Eldest but not only. Also, would you mind leaving the board, indefinitely? Thanks. :)
:yawn: