The Kids (Aren't) Alright - World Happiness Report

[Guest]

17 hours ago, F250 said:

Sandlot style sports don't exist because kids are so deeply involved in adult lead organized sports. Recreational leagues are dying out because of the mass migration to club sports. As a result a lot of kids no longer participate in team sports.

 

Parent of a second grader. He plays organized soccer. Practice and games? He likes it and enjoys playing. There are three kids on the team (including mine) that all live on the same block. There's another kid down the street that is the same age and I think is decent but plays in another league. Another kid on the street also plays in another league.

Number of times they've gotten together to play soccer on their own? Zero. 

I don't understand it.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, BeardIP said:

Doesn't look like it as it's a substack: https://davidepstein.substack.com/p/the-anxious-generation

Holy lack of paragraphs, batman

[Helobious 9,454]

9 hours ago, Tailgate said:

Media not helping…

“Class bullies may earn more in middle age, study finds.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/27/class-bullies-may-earn-more-in-middle-age-study-finds.html

 

 

Well they’re not helping because that’s not even what the study they’re citing is saying. Just clickbait bullshit. 

[F250 28,777]

1 hour ago, BeardIP said:

Thanks for the response, your data and inputs are interesting. As you draw the line using income, I assume that's gotta be very sports-centric. For example, lower income areas are known for investing in their kids from when they can crawl to play pee wee football and dribble a basketball which, in basketball specifically, leads to privatized AAU circuit which precedes in priority any rec or even jr high and high school teams.

I think football is the only sport that doesn't require much investment from the family since it is subsidized by the state more than any other sport.

It's usually the only non-cut sport in school. It is one of the only sports you can join without knowing how to play and usually has the largest coaching staff in the school. I can't think of any other sport that produces more professionals that played for public institutions throughout their entire amateur career.

 

[fattyflattie 4,639]

2 hours ago, Nivek said:

My kid was in a neighborhood rec league for Tball. We joined a team, with a first year coach, and magically we ended up with more younger kids than other teams. Coaches on the top 2 teams had scouted players from previous seasons, and then had them request him to be their coach. They had fewer 4 yr olds and a team that could throw, hit and catch and execute double plays. Their team was just amazingly full of genetic freaks that also looked older on average than the typical 6 yr old.

Sounds like a poorly run league.  Ours limited it to 3 coaches/team, which of course they pick their own kid.   We did have a team where those three coaches all had top kids one year, and then got a early pic and crushed. Daughter was on that team and they ended season something like 60 runs from the next team. But that was an atypical year.  I think they had something like 8 of the eventual 12 all stars for the year. Being the only team that could throw from 3 to 1 was biggest game changer by far.  She was also on a middle of the road team, and a team that sucked all season but got it together on the tournament and lost the championship game in extra innings.  Sometimes it shakes out unfairly but that’s kind of how it goes when people are picking their own kids.  
 

2 hours ago, F250 said:

There are recreational leagues that do well but they are usually not located in lower income areas.

We’ve had the opposite experience.  I’m not in a lower income area, however the league is located in one.  Both of our closest leagues are, actually.   There is a pretty solid range of racial and income/wealth demographics.   BUT, everyone with any money bolts after 10U.   At almost a 100% rate, it’s odd.  My daughters found their preferred sports before that age but we have plenty of friends from the league and it’s been consistent. 

I still don’t see how club teams are a deterrent.  There are some that are big money, but there are “affordable” club teams, too. 

[F250 28,777]

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Parent of a second grader. He plays organized soccer. Practice and games? He likes it and enjoys playing. There are three kids on the team (including mine) that all live on the same block. There's another kid down the street that is the same age and I think is decent but plays in another league. Another kid on the street also plays in another league.

Number of times they've gotten together to play soccer on their own? Zero. 

I don't understand it.

I suspect that kids don't care for playing a sport for fun when they already participate in the organized version. The only sport that my kids would play on their own was basketball. Coincidentally, they only played a few seasons of organized basketball as kids.

Ideally, kids should play sports on their own away from the adults but I think organized sports creates burnout, especially for those that play a single sport year round.

[BabaYaga 15,299]

2 hours ago, F250 said:

Of course recreational youth sport leagues still exist but they are losing numbers across the board as private sports organizations continue to grow. A consequence to the privatization of sports is that the barrier to entry prices out a big segment of the population. Participation in youth sports is actually high and growing for children from families that earn $100k and above but below that income the participation starts to drop off a lot.

There are recreational leagues that do well but they are usually not located in lower income areas.

Little League has been trying to stop the bleeding for years. It was about 10 years ago that they modified their rules to allow players to participate in travel and Little League at the same time and reduced the amount of required LL game participation and still qualify for All Stars. Families that have the resources to do both do not live in low income areas. This benefited the leagues in higher income areas.

Next year, Little League will begin removing their geographical boundary requirements and allow kids 7 and under to register with any LL league but will be locked in to that league for the remainder of their LL career. This will likely only benefit the higher income leagues and drain the already struggling leagues.

There are a lot more problems other than financial ones but money is definitely one of the biggest problems that is keeping kids from participating in team sports.

Depends upon the sport.  My kids played soccer, so I can speak to that.  The barrier to entry is minimal.  When they played Classic League, most of the teams were lower income, Hispanic kids and we've moved up with many of the same families we started with.  Most clubs subsidize dues if needed, but it's the travel that gets you.  Many families carpool, share rooms, etc to mitigate the costs.

Sports also suffers from the same issue kids are having with phones/social media - they have it because everyone else has it.  If your kids are good at their sport, along with their peers, they all join competitive leagues and the level of competition is commensurate.  It only gets tougher the higher you go.  

Then again, you have many HS players that are damn good players that don't play club ball and are fine with that.  The difference are touches/time and the quality of the coaches.  Keep in mind also that MANY kids peel away as the leagues get more and more competitive.

 

[BabaYaga 15,299]

4 minutes ago, F250 said:

organized sports creates burnout, especially for those that play a single sport year round.

100%.  Seen it too many times.  We've avoided this by keeping the kids in multiple sports that compliment one another.  The big difference are the parents that grind their kids into moon dust and kids that push themselves.  My youngest we have to reign in.  Some kids are just hyper-driven but can also get overwhelmed - which is what I'm dealing with now.  Food.  Sleep.  Practice.  School.  Time mgmt.  

[F250 28,777]

11 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

We’ve had the opposite experience.  I’m not in a lower income area, however the league is located in one.  Both of our closest leagues are, actually.   There is a pretty solid range of racial and income/wealth demographics.   BUT, everyone with any money bolts after 10U.   At almost a 100% rate, it’s odd.  My daughters found their preferred sports before that age but we have plenty of friends from the league and it’s been consistent. 

I still don’t see how club teams are a deterrent.  There are some that are big money, but there are “affordable” club teams, too. 

I'm talking about leagues that only pull in lower income families. The leagues with mixed demographics are not in the same boat as the ones where everyone is poor.

Regarding youth baseball, it isn't a secret that thanks to travel ball it’s become a sport for the upper-middle class. It's a big problem for the sport that the MLB has made an effort to address because they will lose future fans.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

1 minute ago, F250 said:

I'm talking about leagues that only pull in lower income families. The leagues with mixed demographics are not in the same boat as the ones where everyone is poor.

Regarding youth baseball, it isn't a secret that thanks to travel ball it’s become a sport for the upper-middle class. It's a big problem for the sport that the MLB has made an effort to address because they will lose future fans.

Yeah, there are definitely issues with the club sport, particularly the ones that go year round.  We traded rec level team sports for year round individual sports, but it still has its warts. Luckily, my kids are passionate about their respective activities, and that helps with the burnout. I don’t gaf what they are as long as they are moving and enjoying it.  Lots of $$$ and time though, oof. 

[Guest]

Y'all got suggestions for video games?

Kiddo LOVES them. Hell, they are fun. I get it. But I want him to self-moderate more. I don't think I've ever seen him turn it off without being prompted. He also loves talking about it, acting it out, etc. It's his passion.

If he likes them, I want him to be able to enjoy them. But I also want him to be able to play in moderation without having the constant guardrails of mom/dad. I feel like we do a decent job at limiting his play, but he also constantly asks for them when not actively doing something else and he would rather play a video game than play with a friend or be active.

Doesn't help that school seems to like having educational games on the tablet. 

[BabaYaga 15,299]

19 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Y'all got suggestions for video games?

Kiddo LOVES them. Hell, they are fun. I get it. But I want him to self-moderate more. I don't think I've ever seen him turn it off without being prompted. He also loves talking about it, acting it out, etc. It's his passion.

If he likes them, I want him to be able to enjoy them. But I also want him to be able to play in moderation without having the constant guardrails of mom/dad. I feel like we do a decent job at limiting his play, but he also constantly asks for them when not actively doing something else and he would rather play a video game than play with a friend or be active.

Doesn't help that school seems to like having educational games on the tablet. 

What types of games?  

I took my video-game nut son who loves FP shooter games to the gun range.  He talks a big game and I just had pistols, so we rented an AR they had and turned him loose.  

"Little different, huh".  The noise, shells bouncing off the bay walls and hitting him.  Having to hold it steady.  He loved it, but also got a little perspective and now all he wants to do is go shooting.  

Wasn't planned, but it sure was effective.  I've done the same thing with scoped, bolt-guns at our place.  In the games you can hit out to XYZ yards.  Ok.  go for it.......now he knows

[Guest]

Lulz. He's seven. He plays Zelda. 

[Frank Drebin 5,638]

50 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

100%.  Seen it too many times.  We've avoided this by keeping the kids in multiple sports that compliment one another.  The big difference are the parents that grind their kids into moon dust and kids that push themselves.  My youngest we have to reign in.  Some kids are just hyper-driven but can also get overwhelmed - which is what I'm dealing with now.  Food.  Sleep.  Practice.  School.  Time mgmt.  

My daughter is a really good athlete.  She loves gymnastics and soccer.  We have to rein her in as she would do gymnastics every day instead of once a week if we let her.  We backed her down to once a week because she kept hurting herself.  Her soccer league, Ziad, is pretty damn great in Houston.  I feel like it is plenty competitive but they don't overdo it.  There are three practices and one game per week in fall and spring.  But practices are at St John's which is right down the street and many kids only go to one or two practices per week.  They are designed where you aren't expected to attend every practice or game.

I have zero interest in her doing competitive cheer or something that requires travel.  She will be good enough to be one of the top handful of soccer players and cheerleaders at her school when she goes to high school in a couple years.

My son has gotten into wrestling.  It is just a fantastic sport for a high school boy for all sorts of reasons.  He loves it and does it year round.

[BabaYaga 15,299]

3 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Lulz. He's seven. He plays Zelda. 

Get him a sword and tell him the bushes need trimming?

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Get him a sword and tell him the bushes need trimming?

Ha. We went to Academy and he found a spear he wanted. Has multiple bows. There's a stick on the front porch that is his spear weapon.

[LCHorn 2,620]

24 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Lulz. He's seven. He plays Zelda. 

Personally, I’m regretting having let my 7 year old play Minecraft (even though it’s only on the weekends) and I’d rather he not play any educational games on a tablet, either.  
 

The problem isn’t in the intention (Minecraft allows for a ton of creativity.  Education games should be a way to teach in a fun way), it’s that the programmers have gotten SO good at making them.  There’s a constant sense of achievement and reward, the kind that gives you a little dopamine hit and it reminds me of people playing slot machines for hours.  
 

 

[Hate 20,108]

This is exactly what we needed, yet another “on the ledge” thread. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

Personally, I’m regretting having let my 7 year old play Minecraft (even though it’s only on the weekends) and I’d rather he not play any educational games on a tablet, either.  
 

The problem isn’t in the intention (Minecraft allows for a ton of creativity.  Education games should be a way to teach in a fun way), it’s that the programmers have gotten SO good at making them.  There’s a constant sense of achievement and reward, the kind that gives you a little dopamine hit and it reminds me of people playing slot machines for hours.  
 

 

Yep. Meanwhile, "real life" isn't like that. It actually takes practice and work to get better.

[Brisketexan 105,151]

Just now, Hate said:

This is exactly what we needed, yet another “on the ledge” thread. 

[F250 28,777]

1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

100%.  Seen it too many times.  We've avoided this by keeping the kids in multiple sports that compliment one another.  The big difference are the parents that grind their kids into moon dust and kids that push themselves.  My youngest we have to reign in.  Some kids are just hyper-driven but can also get overwhelmed - which is what I'm dealing with now.  Food.  Sleep.  Practice.  School.  Time mgmt.  

My kid's followed the play sports by their season pattern. You don't need to play a sport year round to improve. Physical and athletic development will address that overtime. This is really important for kids because if they continue beyond middle school, sports turn into a major grind.

My son's were dual sport athletes in high school, baseball and football. My oldest somehow managed to run track too in high school. Usually, Christmas break was the only time off during the year. Time management was probably the biggest life skill they developed from all of that effort.

 

[Captainant 27,677]

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Y'all got suggestions for video games?

Kiddo LOVES them. Hell, they are fun. I get it. But I want him to self-moderate more. I don't think I've ever seen him turn it off without being prompted. He also loves talking about it, acting it out, etc. It's his passion.

If he likes them, I want him to be able to enjoy them. But I also want him to be able to play in moderation without having the constant guardrails of mom/dad. I feel like we do a decent job at limiting his play, but he also constantly asks for them when not actively doing something else and he would rather play a video game than play with a friend or be active.

Doesn't help that school seems to like having educational games on the tablet. 

Video games are designed to be addictive and "sticky", just like how potato chips are designed to make you want to eat one more. Treat videogames like potato chips - some are a great treat but you shouldn't be living on em

[Brisketexan 105,151]

3 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Video games are designed to be addictive and "sticky", just like how potato chips are designed to make you want to eat one more. Treat videogames like potato chips - some are a great treat but you shouldn't be living on em

Ummmmm.....

[BabaYaga 15,299]

38 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

There's a stick on the front porch that is his spear weapon.

This is the way!

[BabaYaga 15,299]

1 hour ago, Frank Drebin said:

My son has gotten into wrestling.  It is just a fantastic sport for a high school boy for all sorts of reasons.  He loves it and does it year round.

The apex of physical conditioning.  Minus the weight cutting part.  Another soccer dad, his youngest is a wrestler.  Like a little chimp.  He F's people up.  Eyeing Ok State - which has a beast of a program.  

Have you watched Vision Quest with him yet....;)

[Frank Drebin 5,638]

25 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

The apex of physical conditioning.  Minus the weight cutting part.  Another soccer dad, his youngest is a wrestler.  Like a little chimp.  He F's people up.  Eyeing Ok State - which has a beast of a program.  

Have you watched Vision Quest with him yet....;)

Yes sir.  Two weeks ago. We had to fly through Spokane for Spring Break.  Reminded me of that movie so we went ahead and bought it on Amazon and watched during our ski trip. Love that movie.

[Thetexashammer 1,062]

You can pry those salt and vinegar chips from my cold dead hands.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

2 hours ago, Frank Drebin said:

We have to rein her in as she would do gymnastics every day instead of once a week if we let her. 

This is my oldest. 20 hours a week at gym (replaces school PE) and who knows how many hours at home during the week.  But she excels at the competitions (1st overall ~30% of the events while podium on ALL but one event (Covid), took 1st overall at state for her group, etc)). Plenty of adversity, time management, diet/health management, and the fitness aspect is off the charts. The mental focus they have to maintain is unreal for some of the skills.  It’s a good balance of team and individual accomplishments.  

Her passion, her goals, and when it’s no longer fun, it’s over.  If grades dip at all, same.  It was nice because she was good but not great at any other sports, except distance running, which she didn’t have a passion for.  Maybe she can pick that one back up in high school. 

Now, if I could get my middle one to not love dressage, I’d be in good shape.  

[BabaYaga 15,299]

7 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Now, if I could get my middle one to not love dressage, I’d be in good shape.  

Expensive ass hobby.....been there.

[Tailgate 3,022]

What’s a Raid Leader (World of Warcraft) and should you hire them?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-raid-leader-should-you-hire-them-peter-clarke/?trackingId=t%2B5cwCdJSIuZXir5uVxpBQ%3D%3D

“When I applied for my first job back in 2008, the skills required to get my foot in the professional world's door were vastly different from what is needed today.

I was applying to a local MGA in my hometown for a role that I later called a CSO role (Chief Scanning Officer), with a side role of 1 Sugar No Milk duties. The main skills required and developed were scanning policy documents and spotting empty coffee cups. We would receive the documents via Fax and Royal Mail from our brokers, and it was my job to scan them in and file them accordingly in our sophisticated Microsoft filing system.

We were at a point where going "paperless" was the main innovation happening in the market, and the fact that the Underwriters could access the pdf version of documents in a searchable format from their computer was revolutionary.

Fourteen years on, and I am now the one hiring young market entrants. The thought of setting them a task such as scanning seems not only belittling to them but also baffling, let alone the thought of trying to explain what a fax is and why it is useful.

The market has, without a doubt, progressed from those days (although paperless is still beyond the reach of some companies). With this progress comes the need for new skills and a different type of CV to what I pulled together all those years ago.

Being captain of the rugby team and on the debating society were considered great extra-curricular activities to mention, they still are—however, the thought of putting down my Zelda or Golden Eye gaming skills would have been laughable.

While I am in no shape or form a 'Gamer' myself, I am more and more admiring the skills of those who play these games and what they can bring to the professional world.

Being able to network online and successfully perform collaborative tasks while never having had face-to-face contact, develops skills that are not only more relevant but will be invaluable to organisations going forward as we adopt a more digital way of working and networking.

After a recent conversation with a young professional who happens to be a "Raid Leader" in World of Warcraft, I'll share some of what I found fascinating about the skills that they have developed and that I desperately want in my team.

To start with, I will explain what World of Warcraft and a Raid Leader actually is as I had no idea until a couple of months ago, and I am sure the majority of my audience are the same. World of Warcraft is an MMORPG (massively-multiplayer online role-playing game), which I am sure means as much to you as it did to me. This acronym really means that it's an online game with lots of people interacting in a continuous world.

What are they doing? They are trying to improve their in-game character by completing collaborative tasks in exchange for rewards and the chance to take on more challenging collaborative tasks. There is plenty more going on, apparently, but that is the gist of it. Raid Leaders are the people who manage and coordinate the teams performing these collaborative tasks.

Managing a rugby team seems like a piece of cake compared to what these raid leaders are achieving. As a further bit of background, Raid Leaders organise and guide around 25 people from all over the world through collaborative tasks, where they all work together with distinct roles and responsibilities to take down large-scale encounters (bosses)…”

 

Edited March 27 by Tailgate

[F250 28,777]

4 hours ago, Tailgate said:

What’s a Raid Leader (World of Warcraft) and should you hire them?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-raid-leader-should-you-hire-them-peter-clarke/?trackingId=t%2B5cwCdJSIuZXir5uVxpBQ%3D%3D

“When I applied for my first job back in 2008, the skills required to get my foot in the professional world's door were vastly different from what is needed today.

I was applying to a local MGA in my hometown for a role that I later called a CSO role (Chief Scanning Officer), with a side role of 1 Sugar No Milk duties. The main skills required and developed were scanning policy documents and spotting empty coffee cups. We would receive the documents via Fax and Royal Mail from our brokers, and it was my job to scan them in and file them accordingly in our sophisticated Microsoft filing system.

We were at a point where going "paperless" was the main innovation happening in the market, and the fact that the Underwriters could access the pdf version of documents in a searchable format from their computer was revolutionary.

Fourteen years on, and I am now the one hiring young market entrants. The thought of setting them a task such as scanning seems not only belittling to them but also baffling, let alone the thought of trying to explain what a fax is and why it is useful.

The market has, without a doubt, progressed from those days (although paperless is still beyond the reach of some companies). With this progress comes the need for new skills and a different type of CV to what I pulled together all those years ago.

Being captain of the rugby team and on the debating society were considered great extra-curricular activities to mention, they still are—however, the thought of putting down my Zelda or Golden Eye gaming skills would have been laughable.

While I am in no shape or form a 'Gamer' myself, I am more and more admiring the skills of those who play these games and what they can bring to the professional world.

Being able to network online and successfully perform collaborative tasks while never having had face-to-face contact, develops skills that are not only more relevant but will be invaluable to organisations going forward as we adopt a more digital way of working and networking.

After a recent conversation with a young professional who happens to be a "Raid Leader" in World of Warcraft, I'll share some of what I found fascinating about the skills that they have developed and that I desperately want in my team.

To start with, I will explain what World of Warcraft and a Raid Leader actually is as I had no idea until a couple of months ago, and I am sure the majority of my audience are the same. World of Warcraft is an MMORPG (massively-multiplayer online role-playing game), which I am sure means as much to you as it did to me. This acronym really means that it's an online game with lots of people interacting in a continuous world.

What are they doing? They are trying to improve their in-game character by completing collaborative tasks in exchange for rewards and the chance to take on more challenging collaborative tasks. There is plenty more going on, apparently, but that is the gist of it. Raid Leaders are the people who manage and coordinate the teams performing these collaborative tasks.

Managing a rugby team seems like a piece of cake compared to what these raid leaders are achieving. As a further bit of background, Raid Leaders organise and guide around 25 people from all over the world through collaborative tasks, where they all work together with distinct roles and responsibilities to take down large-scale encounters (bosses)…”

 

This is a raid leader.

 

[956 Worldwide 34,715]

4 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

This is my oldest. 20 hours a week at gym (replaces school PE) and who knows how many hours at home during the week.  But she excels at the competitions (1st overall ~30% of the events while podium on ALL but one event (Covid), took 1st overall at state for her group, etc)). Plenty of adversity, time management, diet/health management, and the fitness aspect is off the charts. The mental focus they have to maintain is unreal for some of the skills.  It’s a good balance of team and individual accomplishments.  

Her passion, her goals, and when it’s no longer fun, it’s over.  If grades dip at all, same.  It was nice because she was good but not great at any other sports, except distance running, which she didn’t have a passion for.  Maybe she can pick that one back up in high school. 

Now, if I could get my middle one to not love dressage, I’d be in good shape.  

I have one hard and fast sports rule for my daughters and that is “no riding lessons.”  I saw how my parents went from “trial riding lesson” to owing a horse that cost more than any of our cars that all of a sudden my sister didn’t want. 

[fattyflattie 4,639]

28 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I have one hard and fast sports rule for my daughters and that is “no riding lessons.”  I saw how my parents went from “trial riding lesson” to owing a horse that cost more than any of our cars that all of a sudden my sister didn’t want. 

I’ve owned horses much longer than I’ve had kids, but point taken.  I’ve been talking them out of rodeo since they were toddlers, but the fancy equine sports never crossed my mind. 

[956 Worldwide 34,715]

1 minute ago, fattyflattie said:

I’ve owned horses much longer than I’ve had kids, but point taken.  I’ve been talking them out of rodeo since they were toddlers, but the fancy equine sports never crossed my mind. 

I can’t think of anything I want to own less than a fancy horse. Maybe an Alfa Romeo or one of those snakes that gets big enough to try and eat you. 

[F250 28,777]

1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I have one hard and fast sports rule for my daughters and that is “no riding lessons.”  I saw how my parents went from “trial riding lesson” to owing a horse that cost more than any of our cars that all of a sudden my sister didn’t want. 

My ex-wife had the opposite hard and fast rule.

[hayden_horn 11,362]

no wonder the kids are sad jesus fucking christ

[Captainant 27,677]

2 hours ago, F250 said:

This is a raid leader.

 

TBH when shit is offline at 3AM that tends to be the motherfucker that's online holding shit down. Lord knows I've taken on call handoffs from those poor bastards in the past

[SydneyCarton 48,108]

18 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Y'all got suggestions for video games?

Kiddo LOVES them. Hell, they are fun. I get it. But I want him to self-moderate more. I don't think I've ever seen him turn it off without being prompted. He also loves talking about it, acting it out, etc. It's his passion.

If he likes them, I want him to be able to enjoy them. But I also want him to be able to play in moderation without having the constant guardrails of mom/dad. I feel like we do a decent job at limiting his play, but he also constantly asks for them when not actively doing something else and he would rather play a video game than play with a friend or be active.

Doesn't help that school seems to like having educational games on the tablet. 

 

18 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Lulz. He's seven. He plays Zelda. 

Sounds like my kiddo, who is 6.5. He loves his video games, and loves playing them, and they have educational games on tablets at school, that we also got for him at home because, well, at least he's learning Math.  That being said, we do limit time on the actual switch to only weekends. And with other activities he only has 1 night a week where he can really be on a tablet in the evening, and only educational aps. 

But similar stuff as you describe. He's obsessed with Mario (which came from the movie first, to be fair), and we played Link's Awakening together on the switch. We got him minecraft but he hasn't figured it out on his own yet, and we're not pushing. But he talks about Mario or other games pretty much non stop to strangers, asking questions about it, etc. 

It's something we're monitoring with him as well. Most of the game time is with Mom and Dad, however. Not that we want to be doing that all weekend either. 

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

 

Sounds like my kiddo, who is 6.5. He loves his video games, and loves playing them, and they have educational games on tablets at school, that we also got for him at home because, well, at least he's learning Math.  That being said, we do limit time on the actual switch to only weekends. And with other activities he only has 1 night a week where he can really be on a tablet in the evening, and only educational aps. 

But similar stuff as you describe. He's obsessed with Mario (which came from the movie first, to be fair), and we played Link's Awakening together on the switch. We got him minecraft but he hasn't figured it out on his own yet, and we're not pushing. But he talks about Mario or other games pretty much non stop to strangers, asking questions about it, etc. 

It's something we're monitoring with him as well. Most of the game time is with Mom and Dad, however. Not that we want to be doing that all weekend either. 

Yeah, same situation. I think we've finally worked out the "moodiness" with the games. Used to be that if he was told no, he'd get a little attitude. If we told him to turn it off, we'd get some attitude/delay. That garbage was resolved relatively quick and only occasionally shows up. 

Now I just want him to get to where he realizes that they are fun, but as mentioned above, they are junk food for the brain. Have some, sure, but learn to turn it off and understand it's not life.

I'm not anti video game. I'm anti being obsessed with them. 

[crash_davis 23,113]

This should make the young people happy.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/older-americans-stis-1884175

Older Americans now have twice as many sexually transmitted infections (STI) when compared to a decade ago, a new study has found.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rates of STIs in adults aged 55 and older have doubled over the past decade.

"Rising divorce rates, forgoing condoms as there is no risk of pregnancy, the availability of drugs for sexual dysfunction, the large number of older adults living together in retirement communities, and the increased use of dating apps are likely to have contributed to the growing incidence of STIs in the over 50s", Justyna Kowalska, who is presenting the research, said in a statement.

"These data likely underestimate the true extent of the problem, as limited access to sexual health services for the over 50s, and trying to avoid the stigma and embarrassment both on the part of older people and healthcare professionals, is leading to this age group not seeking help for STIs."

For example, gonorrhea cases rose from 15 per 100,000 people in 2015, to 57 per 100,000 in 2019.

[Hank Kingsley 20,955]

43 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Yeah, same situation. I think we've finally worked out the "moodiness" with the games. Used to be that if he was told no, he'd get a little attitude. If we told him to turn it off, we'd get some attitude/delay. That garbage was resolved relatively quick and only occasionally shows up. 

Now I just want him to get to where he realizes that they are fun, but as mentioned above, they are junk food for the brain. Have some, sure, but learn to turn it off and understand it's not life.

I'm not anti video game. I'm anti being obsessed with them. 

Same age and situation as you and SydneyCarton. Unfortunately my kid's mother let's him play all the time, which makes it tough for me on the weeks I have him. I try to take my son to the park or outside as much as I can. He wants to go to the music store after school today and I'm very happy to get him something unrelated to video games.  He's obsessed with Zelda, but I get the sense he'll move on if we can find another activity that piques his interest. I think "obsession" with kids can be harnessed into something great as long as they have plenty of different things that make them curious and they want to learn more about. 

Also looking forward to him eventually getting into watching sports. I feel like we're close age-wise. I leave ESPN or Rockets replay on in the morning when he's eating breakfast and he's starting to watch. 

[GopherRock 1,765]

29 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

This should make the young people happy.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/older-americans-stis-1884175

Older Americans now have twice as many sexually transmitted infections (STI) when compared to a decade ago, a new study has found.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rates of STIs in adults aged 55 and older have doubled over the past decade.

"Rising divorce rates, forgoing condoms as there is no risk of pregnancy, the availability of drugs for sexual dysfunction, the large number of older adults living together in retirement communities, and the increased use of dating apps are likely to have contributed to the growing incidence of STIs in the over 50s", Justyna Kowalska, who is presenting the research, said in a statement.

"These data likely underestimate the true extent of the problem, as limited access to sexual health services for the over 50s, and trying to avoid the stigma and embarrassment both on the part of older people and healthcare professionals, is leading to this age group not seeking help for STIs."

For example, gonorrhea cases rose from 15 per 100,000 people in 2015, to 57 per 100,000 in 2019.

Obligatory

 

[HouTex 1,867]

35 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

This should make the young people happy.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/older-americans-stis-1884175

Older Americans now have twice as many sexually transmitted infections (STI) when compared to a decade ago, a new study has found.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rates of STIs in adults aged 55 and older have doubled over the past decade.

"Rising divorce rates, forgoing condoms as there is no risk of pregnancy, the availability of drugs for sexual dysfunction, the large number of older adults living together in retirement communities, and the increased use of dating apps are likely to have contributed to the growing incidence of STIs in the over 50s", Justyna Kowalska, who is presenting the research, said in a statement.

"These data likely underestimate the true extent of the problem, as limited access to sexual health services for the over 50s, and trying to avoid the stigma and embarrassment both on the part of older people and healthcare professionals, is leading to this age group not seeking help for STIs."

For example, gonorrhea cases rose from 15 per 100,000 people in 2015, to 57 per 100,000 in 2019.

Gotta be fake news.  Post-menopausal women don’t have sex.  Ask my wife.  

[Guest]

Just pulled the baseboard in the kid's bathroom (next to the shower) because I suspected it was getting water to it over the years. Sure enough, it's soaked. Had to then pop off some tiles and have fans on it. The happiness index for a certain kid is about to plummet.

Nah, not really. He didn't know. But he is going to learn how the framing, drywall, paint and trim of a house goes together. Go ahead and replace a leaky valve stem while I'm at it. They don't teach that shit in Zelda.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

15 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Just pulled the baseboard in the kid's bathroom (next to the shower) because I suspected it was getting water to it over the years. Sure enough, it's soaked. Had to then pop off some tiles and have fans on it. The happiness index for a certain kid is about to plummet.

Nah, not really. He didn't know. But he is going to learn how the framing, drywall, paint and trim of a house goes together. Go ahead and replace a leaky valve stem while I'm at it. They don't teach that shit in Zelda.

You're a good parent. My spouse most often has or had the children help with various tasks just as I do. I taught them the basics of lawn stuff because that's my jam (along with cooking and baking) but he's really good at plumbing and the vehicles and while at first, mom and dad were 'dumb' to make them do this stuff, it's funny how the older they've gotten the smarter mom and dad have gotten in their eyes. Although, the year we had a dump truck full of dirt delivered to top dress the entire lawn front and back may go down as the chore from hell because we were all happy to get that one done.

Edited March 28 by Mrs Whiggins

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

You're a good parent. My spouse most often has or had the children help with various tasks just as I do. I taught them the basics of lawn stuff because that's my jam (along with cooking and baking) but he's really good at plumbing and the vehicles and while at first, mom and dad were 'dumb' to make them do this stuff, it's funny how the older they've gotten the smarter mom and dad have gotten in their eyes. Although, the year we had a dump truck full of dirt delivered to top dress the entire lawn front and back may go down as the chore from hell because we were all happy to get that one done.

As I got older, the more I loved stuff like the top dressing work. Hard work, sure. But put on some music, you have a straightforward task, and you get to see exactly what you got done at the end of the day.

[Brisketexan 105,151]

2 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

As I got older, the more I loved stuff like the top dressing work. Hard work, sure. But put on some music, you have a straightforward task, and you get to see exactly what you got done at the end of the day.

Definitely had both of my kids take lead on changing out a toilet valve, changing a tire, some intermediate tasks that people just need to know, and to feel good about being able to solve problems yourself.  Also took the boy on ranch work weekends at the place we hunt.  Assembling deer blinds, standing them up, setting up anchor systems, cutting and stacking firewood, again....a lot of basics.  It's satisfying, and they both liked the feeling of looking at something they did, and seeing it work.  Those are timeless things that kids need to do.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

5 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

As I got older, the more I loved stuff like the top dressing work. Hard work, sure. But put on some music, you have a straightforward task, and you get to see exactly what you got done at the end of the day.

They got there...eventually...

The (bigger) one we all enjoyed the most was painting their rooms one at a time. They were involved start to finish with the planning, prep, all of it and yes, the satisfaction was long-lasting and the conversations during the process were a hoot.

 

[SydneyCarton 48,108]

5 hours ago, HouTex said:

Gotta be fake news.  Post-menopausal women don’t have sex.  Ask my wife.  

She's having sex, just not with you. *rimshot

2 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Just pulled the baseboard in the kid's bathroom (next to the shower) because I suspected it was getting water to it over the years. Sure enough, it's soaked. Had to then pop off some tiles and have fans on it. The happiness index for a certain kid is about to plummet.

Nah, not really. He didn't know. But he is going to learn how the framing, drywall, paint and trim of a house goes together. Go ahead and replace a leaky valve stem while I'm at it. They don't teach that shit in Zelda.

 

2 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

You're a good parent. My spouse most often has or had the children help with various tasks just as I do. I taught them the basics of lawn stuff because that's my jam (along with cooking and baking) but he's really good at plumbing and the vehicles and while at first, mom and dad were 'dumb' to make them do this stuff, it's funny how the older they've gotten the smarter mom and dad have gotten in their eyes. Although, the year we had a dump truck full of dirt delivered to top dress the entire lawn front and back may go down as the chore from hell because we were all happy to get that one done.

My father was extremely handy, and could fix and work on anything. And he didn't make do any of it with him, or force me, and I'm sure he thought he was being a good dad and not an asshole by letting me just play. But as I got older, I suck at repairing anything, and I really wish he'd forced me to learn some of his skills. Of course, if he had, I'd have bitched and moaned the entire time and probably not appreciated anything I learned now that I'm older. Funny how some situations can create regret no matter what. 

[F250 28,777]

2 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Just pulled the baseboard in the kid's bathroom (next to the shower) because I suspected it was getting water to it over the years. Sure enough, it's soaked. Had to then pop off some tiles and have fans on it. The happiness index for a certain kid is about to plummet.

Nah, not really. He didn't know. But he is going to learn how the framing, drywall, paint and trim of a house goes together. Go ahead and replace a leaky valve stem while I'm at it. They don't teach that shit in Zelda.

One of my sons had a talent for dropping toys and other items in the toilet and then flushing it. They would always get stuck which required removing the toilet. I would make him help me remove the toilet, pullout whatever the hell he clogged it with and put back the toilet.

When he was 12/13 he somehow managed to drop a deodorant stick in the bowl and clogged the toilet. I told him that he has seen it done so many times he can fix it himself. He actually did

A few years later, he replaced four toilets, multiple bathroom sink faucets, bathtub and shower heads/faucets all on his own.

He turned into a very useful handyman. Hell, he replaced the A/C compressor for my F250 last September.