Browsing Category: Parenting

Basketball and other forgotten skills

As part of my day job over on Lazygamer.net, I’m currently reviewing NBA 2K16. Most of the guys in the Lazygamer crew have been laughing at me about it – in general I’m so totally oblivious about sports that I’m not allowed to touch sporting games with a ten-foot pole. However, I was actually quite amped to get my hands on this one, and it turns out that I’m the most qualified person to do so.

Back when I lived in New York, I was actually on my school basketball team. I played through all of junior high and even after I stopped playing the game, I continued supporting the New York Knicks. For those who know basketball, they’ll know that’s a pretty masochistic team to support, but that’s okay – I still love them and there is nothing that can compare with the energy in Madison Square Garden during a Knicks game. Playing NBA 2K16 has reminded me of just how much I enjoyed following basketball. While it’s not really feasible from here in South Africa, it’s still the sport I like to spectate the most. The last time I was really able to follow it was when I was around 14 or 15, before I moved to Holland; that’s about half my lifetime ago. But I still know all about the game, even if the player names are new to me, and it’s made me think about those skills we forget we even have. Continue Reading

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2 Comments Parenting

Arts and culture when raising a kid

Looking back, I realize just how spoiled for choice I was as a kid. I grew up in New York City, which “just” felt like my hometown. It was a wonderful place to grow up, particularly from an arts and culture perspective. I remember going to tons of galleries, museums, theater performances and concerts. It was so normal to spend an afternoon at the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) or even to pop into one of the ridiculously expensive boutiques to just look at the latest fashions and see what designs, palettes and imagery were interesting at the time.

It’s important to me that Harley also grows up with an understanding of art and culture. I want her to learn to play an instrument, even if she abandons it before puberty. I want her to go see plays, musicals and other performances, even if she decides that she prefers YouTube videos. Much like reading, it’s an important window into worlds we wouldn’t access otherwise, and key to unlocking parts of our imagination. Continue Reading

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5 Comments Parenting

A first kick and thinking forward

It still sort of boggles my mind that I’m growing a human. Considering that there long stretches when I don’t feel her move, or when I think that could just be my stomach rumbling, my mind often goes to dark places. I try not to let it, but I can’t help but worry if everything is still okay, if Harley is still doing her thing in there. In moments like that, I remind myself that there would be more obvious signs if something were wrong, and that thus far everything has been healthy and happy. Still, it’s sometimes terrifying to think that there is all this activity going on inside me and I can’t even tell what’s happening.

Yesterday, I decided to listen to music while I worked. I don’t normally listen to stuff because it distracts me from writing words and just gets in the way. When I do listen, I generally listen with my headset on because the sound quality is so good. However, yesterday I thought I’d share the music with Harley which meant that I felt her moving around a bit at least. It was reassuring and rather fun – thus far she seems to like rock and dance music. But this morning, even without music, something truly incredible happened. I felt Harley give me a first proper kick. Continue Reading

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10 Comments Parenting, Pregnancy

On asking for help, and turning it down

One of the skills I had to learn over the years was how to ask for help. Everything from asking for help with work, to finding someone to give me a hand when I didn’t feel well, it wasn’t something that came naturally to me. I liked to think that I could do just about anything on my own and it took me a while to figure out how to ask for help. I’ve had to ask for even more help recently as pregnancy has changed some of my ability to haul groceries or lift things or do a variety of physical tasks that used to be no problem. But I’m now needing to learn a new skill.

The desire to help out is a wonderful one. It can make everyone feel better about themselves – the person getting help can feel supported and the person helping can feel needed. It’s why when I used to have people over I’d try to leave some easy cooking elements undone so that when someone offered to help there was cheese to grate or sauces to put in bowls. But Princess Harley is coming and it’s not like I can just leave something undone for her to make someone else feel important. Continue Reading

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1 Comment Marriage, Parenting

Why I hope my daughter is a gamer

I have been a gamer for basically my whole life. I started as the navigator, watching my brother play and giving him advice about how to beat a level or where to go next. As we got older, we’d occasionally play couch co-op games, but he moved on to other interests while I stayed invested in gaming. It has helped to shape my life and who I am; beyond the fact that I now get to write about video games for work, it helped to forge the very core of who I am as a person, and I hope that it’s something I can pass on to my kid.

Sure, it’s just a hobby, and a pretty common one at this point. However, the more I think about my unique skill set and where I acquired many of those skills, the more I think that gaming should be part of every kid’s upbringing. And yes, I know that people like to talk about playing outside and stuff too, but I do think that playing inside is also a valid pursuit and should be encouraged in kids. Continue Reading

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6 Comments Gaming, Geek, Parenting