Geek raising a non-geek

My son, Jules, is 3. It’s the age where he very much gets interested and excited about things. He was an astronaut (“on a rocketship to the moon”) for Halloween, and loves looking at the moon, and playing with toy space shuttles and rocketships. He likes racecars, airplanes, robots, and castles. In talking to other [...]

Raising Children in the Age of the Smartphone

Last week, NPR’s Science Friday host Ira Flatow spoke with social scientist Sherry Turkle, occasioned by the release of her book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Part of their conversation addressed parents’ inability to control themselves around technology, and children feeling like their competing with iPhones and [...]

Toddler Playgrounds and Dog Parks – Surprisingly Similar

Stacy updates the family about our son’s development with an occasionally updated blog. In the most recent post, she realized a striking similarity between toddler playgrounds (new for her) and dog parks (where she’s been going for years). 1. Everyone is there because walks around the block just aren’t enough stimulation and exercise. 2. In [...]

Parenthood – the biggest difference so far

Some folks ask me what’s been the biggest difference in my life now that I have a child. For a while, it was hard to say what was because of the child, as I was on leave from work for 6 weeks, and bought a house. Now that I’ve been back to work a couple [...]

Because I don’t have enough to do

I knew, going into 2008, it was going to be a liminal year for me. And, boy howdy, has it proven true! This year, I: had a book I co-wrote published got married (twice!) hired a CEO to steer the company I started oversaw the largest event Adaptive Path ever delivered had a child and, [...]

If you’re feeling too happy and want to get depressed…

As an expecting father, you’re made aware of the vaccinations that your child will need. It’s a standard topic in newborn care classes. And, of course, in this modern day, whenever teachers of these classes talk about it, they have to go to great lengths to inform people that vaccinations are safe. Because, it turns [...]

She was right — it does take a village!

Yesterday I attended my second (and final) Preparing for Childbirth class at Kaiser Permanente, and, upon leaving, my thoughts focused on the ohmygodcrucial need for a support group in order to make this a fully positive experience. We live in a strange situation here at the beginning of the 21st century. Neither my wife nor [...]

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Links, thoughts, and essays from Peter Merholz