Comments on: If You Had Led the Life I Lead

By: Jean

Jean — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:55:25 +0000

Peter,
Yes, we Browmans do know how to party.

Thanks for coming by.

By: Peter | The Change Blog

Peter | The Change Blog — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:22:53 +0000

LOL – I love that last pic.

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this post Jean. I like how you refer to the time you spent with you daughter as a “great education”. I think there can be a tendency to think of education as something that happens only in schools. It is so important for parents to be involved in their kids and to teach them the types of skills they won’t learn in a classroom.

Peter | The Change Blogs last blog post..The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Kids

By: Evan

Evan — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:07:45 +0000

Thanks Jean. Evans last blog post..Mindless Eating

By: Jean

Jean — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:12:06 +0000

Evan,
Good luck…please keep us informed. We’re rooting for you.

By: Evan

Evan — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:48:28 +0000

My big pre-occupation for the last couple of decades has been: can I make my income doing what I love? Currently I'm finding out if blogging can be part of this. Evans last blog post..Mindless Eating

By: Jean

Jean — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:31:35 +0000

Evan,
Is there anything in particular you’re focusing on now?

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:30:06 +0000

For me it is getting to the guts of ideas or people. It is both intense and relaxing. Evans last blog post..Blogs With Great Content and That Make a Contribution

By: Jean

Jean — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:43:28 +0000

Lori,
I think a lot of kids are being cheated now-a-days by not being taught that. We all face a challenging future.

Obama’s election night speech reminded me of JFK’s, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” I’m with you, I want my work, no matter how humble, to make the world a better place.

By: SpaceAgeSage - Lori

SpaceAgeSage - Lori — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:37:26 +0000

Great story — I love when parents teach resilience, teamwork, and motivation to their kids this way. I grew up on a farm and pitching in or self motivation was always expected. I get motivated now with work that helps others.

By: Jean

Jean — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:23:50 +0000

Lance,
That was the great thing about the land, we didn’t have to live on a farm to instill those values.

About learning new skills…when my daughter was in high school she was toying with the idea of not going to college. We weren’t going to pressure her because going wouldn’t have done her any good if she weren’t doing it for herself, for her future. My husband just said, “You don’t have to go to college. With your background you can always get a job digging ditches and building barbed-wire fences.” That comment, plus her working at a drive-in with adults who were doing it full-time because they had limited choices, convinced her college was a good idea. She ended up getting a Ph. D. in biopsychology.

rummuser,
Thanks! I don’t think it makes much difference what the projects are. My husband happens to be great at building things and it was a great way of passing some of his skills on to her. My skills were more in caring and listening. It’s nice to have a bit of diversity.

I use the term “work” loosely. I regard my making the weekly videos for the local public access TV station as work because I’ve made a commitment to do it regularly. It only takes a few hours a week, but I’ve been doing it for four years now. And I think committed blogging is “work” too. You certainly do that.