Thursday, December 25, 2008

Complete sentence: I am so old that when I was a kid...

... milk was delivered to my home by a man on horseback
... detergent was first introduced in my home town
... there were no plastic bags, balls or toys. The only plastic at home was bakelite
... people could buy goodies at the market and pay half a penny
... "The wizard of Oz" was shown for the first time in my home town
... people took weekly baths- as many Frenchmen still do I am told
... my nanny concocted a medicine for her arthritis using my urine as ingredient
... people made their own comic books cutting and pasting newspaper's funny pages
... the main way to travel was the train
... markets did not have carts, you hired an Amerindian to carry your purchases on his back until you got home
... radio programs were broadcast alive, with a live audience. TV had not started.
... Doris Day was the hotest girl on the movies
... photos of me were printed in sepia tone
... kids played with kaleidoscopes, little wooden guitars, made flipbooks
... chicken was eaten only on special occasions i.e. weddings, birthdays, or Christmas

Saturday, December 06, 2008

How To: Give Nutrition Education to your Child

Kids are egocentric, so you better give them messages about sharing food without taking somebody else's portions. I was explaining my son Jose Miguel when he was 5-6 years old that kids grew faster than adults and therefore kids should be given priority to receive nutritious foods such as liver and meat. Jose Miguel instantly replied: then pass me your chicken. He ate my share for a long time.

Jose Miguel absorbed rapidly my educational messages and used the information to manipulate his nanny. Jose Miguel would ask her things like "what vitamins are contained in rice? After she pledged ignorance, he would tell her that since he was better informed, he should decide when to eat what and how much.