what made you decide to do what you do?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
what made you decide to do what you do?
1246
Wed, 05-21-2003 - 12:18pm
In the interest of changing the subject back to something that is actually relevant to a SAH/WOH debate (LOL!), I will pose a question to anyone who wants to answer:

Who or what would you say was the greatest influence on your decision to SAH or WOH, whichever one you do (or want to do, if you aren't doing what you want)? Did any particular person, circumstance, situation, or anything else lead you to decide this question one way or the other?

What if two different influences conflicted? How did you make the decision then?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 2:39pm
I lost 6lbs initially when I was pg (not sick, just no food sounded appetizing!) and only gained a total of 27lbs overall. My son still weighed almost 9lbs at birth. Even though I was thin to begin with, my dr never seemed concerned that I only gained at the low end of the *normal* spectrum.

dj

Dj

"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 2:41pm
Ever play chess or go? There's nothing wrong with taking time to think. I realize that's not too popular in the Nintendo culture but slow can be good. Children need to learn to cultivate an active mental life as well.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 2:56pm
Actually, no. The really smart or accomplished kids tend to be rather single minded.The really competitive colleges are looking for a well rounded student body, not well rounded individual students. They want the ones who are the best in their field, not the jacks of all trades. Even the 3 sport guy, Bo? burned out on it. And Michael Jordan was a flop as a baseball player. It's simple mathematics. If a child is spending 15+ hrs a week to succeed in a particular arena, he isn't going to be able to commit that much time to 3 different activities and attend school and have downtime and be with his friends and be with his family.

Younger children may benefit from doing several activities a year. Logistically, that can be accomplished with 1 or 2 activities at a time, given that most sports have a season and many classes don't run all year. Once a child does find his niche, though, it will demand more and more of him. If he is a talented pianist, he is going to have to devote more and more time to it the better he gets, which will naturally start weeding out other activities.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:04pm
So now the schedule has changed? What happened to the kids being in activities from 4:00 to 7:30 or 8:00, or was that scenario too inconvenient to explain so you had to revise it? Talk about spinning your wheels and making it up as you go along...
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:18pm
Let me guess - your children would be terrified to just flop in a chair to read a book, but wait a minute, that's not an issue, they aren't home long enough to even entertain the thought let alone execute it.


Edited 5/28/2003 3:29:37 PM ET by trip59
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:22pm
You forgot the ubiquitous dumb jock theory. You know what they say about kids who pursue (not persue) gasp (not ghasp) sports in favor of basic life skills such as, oh, spelling maybe?
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:28pm


Yes. definitely. one word -- anorexia



sports doesn't rule. what about music, art, writing, etc. etc.

< The real smart ones tend to be quite well rounded.>

not entirely true, but ...

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:31pm
I miss running....

One day when my dd is a little older...
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:35pm
Here's the really sad part of my pregnancies, even though I initially lost weight, and was attached to an IV so I wouldn't get dehydrated, the minute I stopped getting sick, which was around 4 and a half months, I started gaining like a sumo wrestler. My ultimate weight gain in the last 4 and a half months was - 65-70 pounds, both times! Talk about rebounding. Thank god I lost it all by about 6 months after they were born, but boy, did I hate being pregnant! I was not glowing...ever. Just nauseous or enormous, take your pick.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:45pm
A game of shark is very unlikely to provide the same physical activity as swimming laps will. Specially in an ongoing way. I don't know how old your daughter is, but if she's old enough, and of course talented enough, to have had the choice to take up competitive swimming, or not, her choice, then I'm quite certain, she can't hold a candle to the competitive swimmers. Those kids are in great shape. They train alot. Big on early morning hours, aren't the competitive swimmers?

So your child spends plenty of time running around your yard and playing with neighbourhood kids. Sounds like a hoot. Tell me, are they allowed to let those games span yards, or are her friends more or less stuck at your yard, until such time as a bunch of phone calls happen?

Oh, I think books are generally way over rated for their intellectual value. Lots of garbage available there. Probaly tons more than is avail on electronic game media. In fact, most of the adult avid readers I know are also avid computer gamers. People who like to sit, like to sit. The thing is, while they are gaming, they have to think enough to provide the story and determine what happens next. While they are reading...simply sponging off someone elses imagination. Being able to read - the tool - indispensible. Reading - the hobby - vastly overrated. There is alot of drivel out there. I can't imagine how soccer would cut into reading time. My daughter has read way more than the rest of her Gr 3 class this year. Maybe the rest of them need more activities?

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