Watching endless Pingu clips on Youtube ...
Showing posts with label Offspring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Offspring. Show all posts
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Children books
Hmmmm, during my "vacation" in Poland I came across something like this
The Usborne Book of World History you can get a glimps inside here note the "new testament" chapter.
Now that book may actually not be so bad as the one I saw, it was most certainly not that book, the illustrations were different and it actually started with the beginning of the universe.
From what I understand of Polish and of the matter at hand all those parts were accurate enough for children, talking about billions of years, evolution, dinosaurs (without humans!), cavemen, Egyptians, Greeks etc.
But about in the middle of the book there was a chapter called "The Bible" and I kid you not it started straight from the beginning again with Genesis, Adam & Eve, the flood, Jesus... with illustrations similar to the ones in the "real" part and with from what I could see just as much authority as any other chapter, no hint that this was the fantasy part of the book.
After those 5 or 6 pages the book continues with the middle ages, renaissance, French revolution, America ... again accurate as far as I can see.
How can someone hold such views together, it really is a mystery to me, compartmentalization like that should be studied, it is what keeps religion in its place, both the creator of the book and it's readers seem to be living in for them 2 very distinct but very real realities.
As an added bonus, have a look at the comments on Amazon for the book I mention in the beginning, for example:
Some even say that it's a pornography book, amazing, so little Billy, you're not gonna learn about those cavemen unless they start putting on some clothes !!! ;-) I guess they skipped over the good parts of the bible ....
The Usborne Book of World History you can get a glimps inside here note the "new testament" chapter.
Now that book may actually not be so bad as the one I saw, it was most certainly not that book, the illustrations were different and it actually started with the beginning of the universe.
From what I understand of Polish and of the matter at hand all those parts were accurate enough for children, talking about billions of years, evolution, dinosaurs (without humans!), cavemen, Egyptians, Greeks etc.
But about in the middle of the book there was a chapter called "The Bible" and I kid you not it started straight from the beginning again with Genesis, Adam & Eve, the flood, Jesus... with illustrations similar to the ones in the "real" part and with from what I could see just as much authority as any other chapter, no hint that this was the fantasy part of the book.
After those 5 or 6 pages the book continues with the middle ages, renaissance, French revolution, America ... again accurate as far as I can see.
How can someone hold such views together, it really is a mystery to me, compartmentalization like that should be studied, it is what keeps religion in its place, both the creator of the book and it's readers seem to be living in for them 2 very distinct but very real realities.
As an added bonus, have a look at the comments on Amazon for the book I mention in the beginning, for example:
The drawings and illustrations are fantastic except for a few pages with women without tops (shirts). We don't feel that is appropriate for our grade school boys so we returned the book.
Some even say that it's a pornography book, amazing, so little Billy, you're not gonna learn about those cavemen unless they start putting on some clothes !!! ;-) I guess they skipped over the good parts of the bible ....
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Personal things
So we're thinking about expanding our family.
And I'm torn, #1 has been an absolute wonderful experience, she's everything I didn't know that kids could be and even though I had no problems in finding a reason to live before she was here, she has taken the #1 spot the moment she was there!
And I'm quite sure #2 would be similar but my very next thought is that (s)he would not be #1 ... so I'm really torn that I would want to give #2 the same as #1 but I'm sure it will not be, it might even be better but that does not change my feelings, (s)he will not be #1.
And it's not financial, that does play a bit but we're doing OK in that department.
My wife and I are both single children and I've never ever felt it as something missing, my wife did, so perhaps that is it, I don't know, can't know what having siblings is.
Another thing that I fear is time, my wife and I have had a pretty free life, and are enjoying some freedom again (#1 is coming up to her 2nd birthday), if there is a #2 then it will push that freedom back by another 2-3 years, I didn't mind with #1 but from what I hear from other parents free time will be even less with an additional kid.
Before #1 I was not really pro-children but am very, very happy to have #1, I think I'm more pro #2 than I was before #1 and probably all this doubt will fade away when/if #2 comes but it is playing in my mind, and feels good to put it in writing a bit.
ps. Religion really doesn't come into play here. My wife, though a church going Catholic, she's quite liberal about it and doesn't seem to force things, contrary to the grandparents who have given those awful children bibles (I'm gonna make a version with the story of Lot's daughters and see how good that sells ;) ) but that will not change and they do not dictate our lives, those books have been put in a box far away from #1.
And I'm torn, #1 has been an absolute wonderful experience, she's everything I didn't know that kids could be and even though I had no problems in finding a reason to live before she was here, she has taken the #1 spot the moment she was there!
And I'm quite sure #2 would be similar but my very next thought is that (s)he would not be #1 ... so I'm really torn that I would want to give #2 the same as #1 but I'm sure it will not be, it might even be better but that does not change my feelings, (s)he will not be #1.
And it's not financial, that does play a bit but we're doing OK in that department.
My wife and I are both single children and I've never ever felt it as something missing, my wife did, so perhaps that is it, I don't know, can't know what having siblings is.
Another thing that I fear is time, my wife and I have had a pretty free life, and are enjoying some freedom again (#1 is coming up to her 2nd birthday), if there is a #2 then it will push that freedom back by another 2-3 years, I didn't mind with #1 but from what I hear from other parents free time will be even less with an additional kid.
Before #1 I was not really pro-children but am very, very happy to have #1, I think I'm more pro #2 than I was before #1 and probably all this doubt will fade away when/if #2 comes but it is playing in my mind, and feels good to put it in writing a bit.
ps. Religion really doesn't come into play here. My wife, though a church going Catholic, she's quite liberal about it and doesn't seem to force things, contrary to the grandparents who have given those awful children bibles (I'm gonna make a version with the story of Lot's daughters and see how good that sells ;) ) but that will not change and they do not dictate our lives, those books have been put in a box far away from #1.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)