Two Birds with One Stone
Posted by ypcice on December 11, 2008
Man, I wish I had the time and ability to travel. I mean really travel. A good friend of mine will be spending her Christmas abroad. She will be going to Bahamas and then on to Cuba. She leaves next week and returns in January. Bahamas I could do, but the Cuba part worries me just a little. But, she is very adventurous… She was in Grenada last year and Africa this year. I can’t wait till she gets back to hear the stories and see the pics.
Travelling for me has to be family vacations. Although, I would love to take a Mommy break and get away, I would hate for them to miss something great. I am on a mission to broaden my children’s horizons. I treat as much as I can a teaching moment. I can’t sit back and wait for the schools or anybody else to do it for me. So, me travelling alone is not an option, at least until my honeymoon, lol.
I took a class this semester- Multicultural Education. I was surprised at how diverse my kids really are. My classmates who were predominately African American exposure level was really low. They rarely did anything outside of the “black” experience. I guess I am a freak. I take my kids to everything, especially if it is free. We attended the Celtic festival this year. My kids had a ball. It was really neat. I want them to know about other things. The more things I introduce them to the easier it is for them to be able to hold a conversation. I want them to know something else besides who their favorite rapper is.
I am putting it into high gear at the first of the year. They all will be responsible weekly for a report (and I really mean report) on a current event. They pick one on Monday and it’s due by Friday. I am budgeting to include more artsy stuff too. Ballet, Opera, etc. The youngest will probably be the most receptive. That 16 yr old is going to have a cow. He is upset because he has to read a book. I ordered Hill Harper’s MANifest Your Destiny and he has to read and journal. He, a male friend, and I are going to read and journal together. Weekly we will sit down and talk about it. He is so upset, but I don’t care. I am looking for a book for Lil Bil (8) and Tada (12). So, if you have any suggestions let me know.
I am building a home school curriculum to supplement what they get at school. The best teacher teaches at home. So…. I am teaching at home. I want well rounded kids, so I have to put in some work to get it. There are a lot of changes coming… Family Game Nite is on its way back. We had so much fun during the 11 day black out, I bought a ton of puzzles and board games to entertain them. They loved it!! We used to do this monthly and fell off for quite awhile. My Christmas list includes some great traditional games and some educational ones. I will keep you all posted on my progress.
beans3bk said
I am like you, I want my children to have culture, I refuse to raise a troop of hood rats. I sent them to camp at the art institute, they loved it. I am looking into things for them in the summer right now. I want them to be able to see more and explore the world. There is so much more in the world than West Dayton. People tell me they “act white” all the time. I don’t see that. I see them as having been exposed to more than MTV and BET. My two youngest love Karate.
art937 said
Good for you! It is important for the parent to be involved outside the classroom. It is strange you mentioned travel because it has been on my mind since the latter part of this year. I really want to travel and want my kids to be expose to different cultural and go aboard. Man, that traveling thing been on my mind tough. I was talking to this older lady and see said her and her husband had plans on traveling. He ended up dying and she let me know do not wait and say I will wait until I retire. I plan on trying to keep my children busy especially at the age of 3 & 4 but it has its challenging b/c I can’t be around like I want to. That is great to hear Ypcici
beans3bk said
We are starting off small, I was thinking instead of going to Chuck E Cheese, we would start going to different museums once a month.
David said
I agree with exposure and the whole nine….I have this conversation all the time…but you don’t want your children to be so oblivious to the fact that society STILL has issues with certain groups of people based off the color of our skin. I never play the race card, but if we don’t educate our children in a complete manner…the world will feast off of them…that is real talk…
© J. McCarthy said
Man, I am all late to the party, but yea man. Part of my goal for this NPO that I want to get off the ground is exposure. Dew and me rapped about that before how we would dominate in polo, swimming, hockey, tennis, etc. if we were exposed to it. I don’t want my kids to lose their heritage, but on the flip I want them to be the most well rounded men you come across.
beans3bk said
That’s what I am trying to tell people, there is more to life than BET. I need to raise human beings with culture. I want them to be able to go in a room and conduct a conversation about anything. The more they are exposed to the greater their chances are.