MichaelF

2,816 reputation

412

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	location	Massachusetts
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visits	member for	2 years, 2 months
	seen	May 23 at 14:27
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I am a parent of two boys who are 5 years apart, they get along well and play as well as kids can with that age gap. They are half-Chinese and are growing up learning English and Chinese, reading, writing and speaking for both languages. What I want to get out of this site are more ideas on raising my boys, giving them more opportunities for learning and growth as well as more ideas on how to educate them and get them to try new things.

	2,816 reputation	bio	website		visits	member for	2 years, 2 months
412 badges		location	Massachusetts		seen	May 23 at 14:27

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Oct 7	comment	What are best practices for managing student-teacher relationships? Thanks, but I read your question differently - "getting students to manage their relationships with teachers" to me is giving the students the responsibility for this. I email with my sons teachers when the need arises, and I bet if the kids were older (he is in 1st grade) there might be an option there to so. Still I wouldn't want to manage, then you intercede, I'd rather facilitate and get the student/child empowered to handle the relationship.
Oct 3	comment	When should a child see Star Wars: A New Hope I like the question and I'll upvote if it's reworded, as it stands it's vague. There are similar TV show questions already here that would give a good format for rewording like the Doctor Who or Terrorism questions
Oct 3	comment	When should a child see Star Wars: A New Hope +1 for not jamming it down their throats, our children may come from us but that doesn't mean they will like the same things we do.
Sep 30	comment	What are some fun (no TV or computer) activities that a 2 year old and a 4 year old would enjoy together? +1 Very true, my sons do the same. The oldest is the leader and the youngest only wants to do what the older is doing, and building blocks is the best example.
Sep 30	comment	What are the pros and cons of using a nanny-cam? Agreed with cabbey my state has strict laws on recording of people over phones and in homes, not others in the US do. You'd best talk to a lawyer about that. Regardless, the video in that site looks very staged, I saw a few edits that showed me things were not the way they appeared
Sep 28	comment	What are some fun (no TV or computer) activities that a 2 year old and a 4 year old would enjoy together? I love the gardening part, though I never got my oldest to understand the difference so I just give him a spare area to dig in - that keeps HIM amused. Not so much for the youngest though.
Sep 26	comment	How can I potty train my 4 year old daughter? When she says she doesn't like it anymore, do you know why? Confronting the fear usually means really making sure the kids understand what they are afraid of, whenever you can get there which is sadly not always the case.
Sep 23	comment	What should parents consider when selecting a pacifier? These are the criteria I used to make my selection. And buy multiples, I have no idea how but these things disappear like socks and pens!!
Sep 23	comment	How young is too young to start wearing makeup? +1 This says it all to me, it's all about what you as a parent feel is right. Every child is different.
Sep 9	comment	How can I encourage my 2 year old to drink milk from a sippy/drinking cup? We've used straw cups and sippy cups with success in transition, it was good to mix them up and if you find ones with a slightly tight fit with the straw you won't get much spillage with the inevitable tossing of the cup.
Sep 6	comment	Can you effectively influence the behavior of a 6 month old? This would be my tactic, I've found that my kids respond to actions that I respond to, if I find it funny or act in an approving manner I will more than likely see that behavior again. If I ignore it, then it lessens the chance of that behavior repeating. Raspberries during eating are minor, you'll have larger items coming once mobility arrives.
Sep 2	comment	Should I monitor my child's internet usage? I like the decreasing supervision, as to logging I don't see a problem with that. You can always just review the sites they are going to, not the individual pages - so you at least know where they are going.
Sep 2	comment	Should I monitor my child's internet usage? It's easy for us, we have two computers that my son could use. One is basically the main home machine, that I mainly use but its downstairs in the "office" and no one is allowed there unsupervised. Second computer is my wife's laptop that she uses a lot - we allow it to be used since it's generally in the room we are in so there is supervision. I don't see this changing for a long while.
Sep 1	comment	How do I help my son with fine motor skills? Yeah, my son does the same thing sometimes. Either it's "nothing happened" or he finds it too hard, so I just try a different line of questioning. Good luck with it though.
Sep 1	comment	What size schoolbag is good for a first-grader? Agreed, my wife buys stuff one size too big expecting our son to grow into it.
Aug 31	comment	How can I help my pre-schooler to relax and fall asleep? I've had the same problem, and sort of still do, many times I cannot fall asleep without imagining something. Although now I am far better at it than I used to be, what got it working for me was imagining myself falling and that usually did it.
Aug 29	comment	Is it ever okay to tell a kid you disagree with their parents? Agreed, you don't need to drive a wedge between yourself and the parents. Plus, just because your opinion is opposite the parents it doesn't mean you have to let the kid think you disagree, it's just everyone has different opinions. A good way to introduce diversity of ideas to kids.
Aug 26	comment	What techniques can keep a reluctant pre-schooler on a morning schedule? +1 for not rushing and the boob tube...loved that expression growing up
Aug 25	comment	How can I get my primary-schooler to remember to turn off the light? I've had hit and miss with rewards, my oldest doesn't really get the concept even when we make a big deal of it. I'm hoping my younger does better.
Aug 25	comment	How can I get my primary-schooler to remember to turn off the light? At what point? Well, it depends on when he gets it. Generally we have no issues, and with the lights I have few issues...occasionally he leaves a light on and I ask him to turn it off. Which he will do. Getting him to clean his room, or do homework, without oversight on the other hand....