Second one’s parenting skills T expect I'm no differ- ent than most parents, constantly second- guessing the actions I _ take with my children. _ Every time I see a baseball - player making $100,000 a Inchsding a pan sized pizza taser tag anv 3 bour tn the rar swing, I wonder if I should play more bail with them. Each time I hear of a .com company going public and the directors making $100 million each, 1 wonder if I should be playing more Monopoly with them. Each time If hear of a musician who earns half a million dollars a week for some music I can hardly understand, if I can even bear to listen to it long - enough to try and under- stand, I wonder if I should have them in music lessons. Each time I see one of their classmates celebrating a. perfect test or winning some 3 games of Toom. Parties take approx 2 hours in total and yes, we do supply the : _ Biales, forks, napkins & cups. We also have a fridge for your Cake and ice cream. AS ER DOME NEW MANAGEMENT + LASER TAG Street, North V! © 985-6033 Mad Scientist Dates e: o> July 47. Dscinor camnpers learn to ovescarce obstacles, ; July 10-44 Times ; 1000am-400pm ‘10:00am 4:00pm Deseitne campers leara ta see the world through God's eyes. ‘ “Upto Your Eves in Art. Description: cerspers ane N-A-T-4-0-N duly 17-21" Ieam to develop | talests God gives " duty 24-28 . 10:00am 4:00pm them. - ee oder 4:00pm Capes ean th gents Loses eet iarageous | Olympi ‘Aug 14-18: , Woden 400m "10:00am 4:00pm Pee papa it - and live = as a team academic contest I wonder if? I should have spent more time going over the basics with them. Sometimes, I just wonder what I've done with the time we've had together. 1 know a lot of people who aren’t second-guessing themselves. They’ve made their choices. In the drive to be sure their children are the tops in something, anything, they've specialized as early as age six or seven. Not wishing to have them malinger through childhood, the coaches, clinics, tutors, dance instructors, piano teachers and ever-dutiful parent chauf- feurs are lined up to turn out the next Wayne Gretzky, Albert Einstein, Karen Kain, or Kristi Yamaguchi. I’ve seen some of these young proteges in action at various times and it’s pretty daunting to see 2 10-year-old concert pianist or a 12-year-old national gym- nast in action. It’s often at _ these moments that I second- guess the most, wondering if I was fair to my own children in trying to give them a wide range of experiences rather than a narrow focus of exper- - tise. Although I second-guess, I still can’t commit myself, or my children, to a singular focus. Perhaps it’s because none ’ of them have found a passion that they truly wish to pursue day in and day out. I know that for many children who participate in a high levei of any one activity, they do so because they enjoy it and the hard work and natural love of the activity lead to greater performance. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that although I worry, sometimes, that excluding just about everything else, including school performance, is a little too risky for my blood. Perhaps we've not taken a singular path because I have not committed myself to the kind of parental dedication Necessary to go for the top. I know many parents whose lives are completely dominat- ed by sports events, dance events or chauffeuring from lesson to lesson. Again, that’s not such a bad thing if it’s something that both the child and par- ent enjoy. Those endless hours of driving and hanging out together can lead to some pretty good bonding time and that can only heip gevelop a stronger relation- between parent and ne It just hasn’t worked for me because my work has always demanded a lot of time and my wife hasn’t fig- ured a way to spread herself over three dedicated sons’ ambitions. It’s more a case of logistics than anything and I guess we : just haven't deter- mined it’s important enongh to us, as a family, to work those logistics our. Then again, maybe we've just fallen into a pattern of family living that is comfort- able, balanced and meets the needs of all of us without having to buy computer soft- ware for scheduling our time. I'd like to believe such an idyllic balance was planned, but frankly, some elements just seem to be falling in place on their own. For all my second-guessing, the kids seem pretty happy doing whatever they can, whenever they can. There’s some sports through school, and occa- sionally in the community. They're doing OK in school and are independent workers and learners. They love music, and while only one has taken any music lessons, music seems to comprise a part of éach of their lives in one form or another. I work a few too many hours to pre- tend my life is truly in bal- ance but we spend some good time together almost every day and they seem sat- ished with my accessibility to them. Alright, I admit i it, there are some crazy days when everyone is going berserk thar I really, really second- guess my parenting. But that’s not such a bad thing either. By reflecting on the results of my parenting, through observing the actions of my children, I am forced to ask some hard questions of myself, my com- mitment as a father and my strategies for raising happy and healthy young people. It reminds me that parenting is not something you ee but a work in progress. If there are more smiles than - tears, more celebrations than commiserations and more .-_ love than anger, then whatev-" - "er path we have chosen, it’s’. OK. author of Parenting Is A Teani: Sport. KINDERGARTEN students at Irwin Park elementary school iearned about the dan gers of “the demon driveway,” “Swervin' Steve” and “Irvine the Intersection ‘at Month — Graham Hookey is ‘the. a wa pega to help e summer. - . A pecs Pi ramme elivered by certifi shoe eachel full grade level in reading math within 36 hours of hte) r SYLVAN'SKILLS | $25 O F F ASSESSMENT. . just bring this savings certificate to your scheduled appointment % os to save $25 on the Sylvan Skills Assessment™. SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER’ Success is tearned” Not valid with any other otter. r Expires 06/22/00 Leawn with Kuddles Kuddles is an organized program for moms, dads, care- givers and babies in an environment that fosters the strengthening of physical, social and cognitive skills. 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Binh - 12 mos Thursday 5:15 and 6:15 PM sessions Both sessions consist of 10 classes of 44 minutes $80 bike rodeo heid on the first day of June — Bike Safet} ¥ hour of Songs, s, stories and basic vocabulary i Fridays, 10 for $45/$5.00 drop in Discounts available for the enrollment of more tf ~ baby and for Kuddlés graduates! 5 At Kuddles your, child will enjoy the. use of al equipment : and will have free access to our Toy Library: your child's space. * To receive a brochure or to regter for oa of our . sessions, call 729-6538. ‘Early Infant Stimulation at St. Catherines Anglican Church: - 1058 Ridgewood, North ‘Vancouver, 729-6538 ,