Do I have what? What in the world is parental street cred? Well, let’s start with street cred. According to the Urban Dictionary, street cred is:

So what does it have to do with parenting? Pam Stillman, one of our readers, brought a new site to our attention – ParentalStreetCred. It is about being seen as “cool” by your children and at the same time exhibiting good parental skills.

I paid a visit to the site and was immensely amused by the instructional videos on offer. I like how they used a geeky (sorry for the term but it seems so appropriate) man to give tips to parents. In this site, parents will learn how to relate to their kids, who may seem to be worlds apart from them. Topics include saying hello, dance floor etiquette, skateboarding, clothing, dissing, and video games.

Though the videos may seem a bit goofy at first, the pointers offered are quite practical and provide various insights to our children. Let us say that it is a refreshing way of looking at the differences in generations. One thing I’d like to say, though, I really prefer the PS3 to the Xbox360, which is the sponsor of this site. Does that mean I have more parental street cred???

We grew up without a television in the house. I think I mentioned that in my last post. It was not simply because our parents could not afford to buy one but more because they believed that TV was not essential to our development as individuals. I remember going to our cousin’s house next door after school to watch a little bit of TV. I remember long summer months wherein we would have to go next door to get our share of cartoons.

Back then, I felt so deprived. My classmates would be talking about the latest episodes of the most popular cartoons and I would feel so left out. All I had were images in my head from stories that I read in the countless books that we had at home. Little did I know that that experience would enrich my life even more than the TV shows back then. Looking back, I realise that our parents actually did well in deciding that we should not have a television set.

Today, though, I can’t help but wonder if this practice can still apply. For one, we already have our own TV at home. We even have other similar gadgets like the computer, DVD player, and a video game console – all of which the kids can use. Of course, the books are still there – they can never be taken out of the equation.

I think that the times have changed. The television and other multimedia devices can help with our children’s development. However, there has to be discipline. What they watch, when they watch, and how long they watch needs to be controlled. They have to know their limits and balance their priorities as well.

The Christmas season has just ended and I just realized how BIG gaming consoles are for children. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my extended family and I was really surprised to see that most of the kids had a gaming console with them – the portable ones!

Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against gaming consoles. In fact, I kind of like the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which my husband got for himself when it first came out. Aside from the price, I think that this gadget is quite nifty – you can do more than play games.

The dilemma I have been having is how old should a child be before he or she could get a gaming console? More so, what kind of console is right for a certain age? Take my nephew, he is only 5 and his parents bought him a PSP. I think it’s too expensive a toy for his age.

My other nephew got a Gameboy Advance and he’s 7. I think that’s a better match. Then again, he felt so envious of the PSP, which a younger cousin already has!

As a parent, it could be quite hard to make the right decisions – should you get your child a gaming console? If so, which one? More than that, how do you handle their use of the console?

I believe that it boils down to more than the game or toy itself. It is part of disciplining your children and giving them what they want at the same time. Good parenting includes treats and teaching children control at the same time.

I’ve never been into video games, which probably explains why I’ve always told N that she wouldnt be allowed a Gameboy or the like until she was 10 years old. So imagine my annoyance when at the family Christmas get-together, my 11-year-old half sister (who N adores) lent N her Gameboy, and N was entranced, showing that she clearly had some talent despite being only 5-years-old.

Then a few days ago, her friend Rose (as mentioned in the previous post) brings the latest Gameboy to school, which was a present for her birthday. It was the envy of all the kids at school, especially N. Noticing this when I picked her up from school that day, I gently (but firmly) reminded her that she wasnt getting one until she was 10. She was very-grown up about it, as if resigned to her fate….

Now feeling guilty, I spoke to my husband about it (who, has been desperate for N to be old enough to play video games with him, a hobby he gave up when we had the kids). He said that if we had a “big one” (i.e. something he can play too) at the beach house, which she can only play on weekends or holidays, then MAYBE we can bend this rule a bit. Hmmmmmmm…….

The jury’s not out on thus, but I didn find an interesting article about ways parents can make video games “good” for kids, which I’ll be blogging about next.

Ok, it isnt such a far-fetched idea really, but given the day and age we live in, when it comes to video games and kids, its just a matter of time (unless you live in Outer Mongolia - but then again, even there they’ve probably got some bootleg gameboy from the mainland).

Not that I’ve decided to give in and allow N to have one just yet- I think its better to get all the facts and get oneself ready to make the best out of a situation.

So here are some tips I found:

1. Find the “good” games and stay away from the “bad”

Find games that people can play together (team building and sportsmanship) like sports and action games. Make it more social, as opposed to a “mind-numbing” activity. Steer clear of violent titles, do your research and check out online reviews first.

2. Get �Active� Games

If like me, you’re concerned about the health aspect, then get some games which will get the kids (and maybe even yourself) out of the sofa and moving! These usually come with a dance pad, which younger kids will enjoy. Karaoke games are fun too, like Singstar, which can get the whole family spending some fun quality time together.

3. Be Involved

As with most things in your child’s life, take an active involvement. Try and spend some time together playing and discover why your child loves it. In my case though, it will be my husband playing the sports and action things - I’ll just stick to the karaoke.

The same pro-video game parent who inspired these tips had this to say (he does have a point).

Don�t believe all the popular media about violence in video games. While there have been a great deal of sensationalist news claims over the years, little legitimate supporting research has been presented that makes a strong link between games and violence. In 2001, the Surgeon General of the United States released a report that concluded, �[t]aken together, findings suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence.” Besides, the debate becomes mute if you pay attention to the content of the games your child is playing.

It�s easy to want to say no when your kid asks for a video game system for Christmas or for a birthday; after all, we�ve all seen various news reports about the dangers of video games. But next time your child makes such a request, don�t be so quick with that knee-jerk reaction. Two thirds of parents with children under the age of 18 say that they feel video games are a positive element of their child�s life. You don�t have to feel guilty next time someone asks you, �You let your kids play video games?� Just look surprised and say, �We play video games together. Why? Don�t you?�

You might be surprised at how nice a ring that line has.

Those who read my personal (tech) blog would know that I’m very fond of cartoons and other children’s shows. The reason: well, some shows on television today are not only geared towards children, but they’re adult- or parent-oriented, too.

For example, when P was a toddler, she loved watching High 5, Blue’s Clues and the Backyardigans on Nickelodeon. I got to appreciate the music and the artwork in those shows. Today, my kids are more fond of the Disney Channel than other channels on cable. We get to watch Art Attack!, Mickey Mouse cartoons and other such Disney offerings. And guess what one of our favorite shows is: Kim Possible. Actually, it’s more of a teen-oriented show, because of the nature of the characters (High Schoolers).

Of course, as time goes by, TV programs grow with their audiences, so you can expect the themes to become more mature. For instance, many of the Disney shows we watch like Kim Possible, Hannah Montana and Totally Spies often discuss relationships. This is similar to other now-defunct kid-oriented shows like the late 1990s’ Lizzie McGuire and the like.

The humor is usually witty enough even for the mums and dads to really appreciate. Sometimes I tend to worry that these might already be affecting my kids in a bad way. But then again, I tell myself they’re too young to understand such things.

However, it’s always best not to just ignore the risks. As a parent, I try to keep an active role whenever we watch TV or movies, so I can adequately explain the situations being depicted in a way my kids could understand.

Ok, I admit that maybe I am a teeny-weeny obsessed with pirates these days. My sister insists that I am, and although she was down with a nasty bug, managed to send me this email about the “Pirates vs Ninja” debate.

Its rather interesting if you asked me. The pirates are winning, with 263 votes, as opposed to the ninjas with 258. Here are some of the insightful comments on debate:

For the Pirates:

” Ah, the anachronism that is the ninja! Are there even any ninjas
left in the world, to fight the pirates? I am pretty sure that
the true ninjas went the way of the samurai (speaking of which,
in the movie THE LAST SAMURAI, ninjas and samurais duke it out,
and I am pretty sure that was anachronistic too) I say NAY!

Yet modern pirates abound! See The Outlaw Sea: A World of
Freedom, Chaos, and Crime by William Langewiesche. Pirates still
kick trash, even in a world of atom bombs and blackberries. In
fact, pirates probably use blackberries. Blackberries, eyepatches
and parrots. Yar, matey! “

For the Ninjas:

“Ninjas have the advantage on land. I mean, you can’t even see
them until it’s too late, and then you’ll never see them because
you have no head.

But on sea, pirates are dangerous. But a ninja could sneak on
board. And pirates are too loud. Yell and say yar, and are
usually drunk, so it is all ninja!”

[tags]pirates, convince me, pirate vs ninja, debate [/tags]

If you’ll notice from my previous posts, despite my pirate-fervor, my ability to “piratespeak” is simply pathetic. I can muster an “aarrgh” or a “shiver me timbers” with as much pirate gruff as that chap Orlando Bloom….which is no way the mother-pirate of the pirate lass celebrant is meant to be.

So getting into the spirit of things, I started doing more research on brushing up my “pirate”, and just discovered that “Speak Like A Pirate Day” occurs on September 19th, the day after my birthday! Lovely. Why have a holiday for these romanticized skurvy-ridden criminals? Heres what the folks at International Talk Like A Pirate Day convincingly say:

Make no mistake. We do. But it’s a little hard to articulate why, especially when you’ve made the mistake of referring to your wife as a scurvy bilge rat and tried to order her back into the galley.

Talking like a pirate is fun. It’s really that simple.

It gives your conversation a swagger, an el�n, denied to landlocked lubbers. The best explanation came from a guy at a Cleveland radio station who interviewed us on the 2002 Talk Like a Pirate Day. He told us we were going to be buried by people asking for interviews because it was a “whimsical alternative” to all the serious things that were making the news so depressing.

In other words, silliness is the holiday’s best selling point.

Before we go any further, there’s something we need to be clear about. Pirates were and are bad people. Really reprehensible. Even the most casual exploration of the history of pirates (and believe us, casual is an accurate description of our research) leaves you hip deep in blood and barbarity. We recognize this, all right? We aren’t for one minute suggesting that real, honest-to-God pirates were in any way, shape or form worth emulating.

So what is it exactly that we’re celebrating here, if not pirates? What, you’re wondering, is the point?

We’re going to be painfully honest here, perhaps fatally so.

The point is, there is no point.

Its the last line that sold me. I love a little nonsense in my sometime serious world of parenting. Besides, it will thrill my little sea urchins em sure. Next post get ready for my favourite pirate lingo.

[tags]talk like a pirate day, pirate talk[/tags]

Yesterday morning after I took my daughter to Kindergarten, I was busy answering my emails when O toddled to my desk. He often does this when he sees me on my laptop, and most of the time (if I don’t have any deadlines to meet), I indulge him by going to the Thomas the Tank Engine or Bob the Builder sites. If his big sister is around, she play games while he watches, and fun seems to be had by all.

Anyway, for some reason, I was in You Tube, and somehow, we found the video “Manamana” as you see pictured above. Its a vintage Sesame Street/Muppets clip (wasn’t I just talking about this?) from the 70’s, and involves a very catchy tune “sung” by the two pink creatures (birds?) and the caveman-esque chap with the shades. It is absolutely delightful!

Well, O LOVED it, and just kept on cracking up when the caveman would pop up saying “manamana”. For what seemed like ages, we watched the clip over and over again, which eventually prompted me to sign up at the site and get more into memory lane by searching for more clips from the childhood, of which I found a couple of gems - “Eleven O’Clock!” and the clown who takes his makeup off. Hurrah!

When N got home from school, O just had to show her “anama!”, which she LOVED as well.
They watched it again first thing this morning, and now N wants them to sing it at out family Christmas party on Christmas Eve. Guess who’ll have to be one of the pink furry creatures?

To see the video, click HERE.

[tags]Muppets, manamana, Sesame Street,childhood[/tags]

Yes, we enjoyed Dynasty, V (remember the mice-eating aliens?), Taste the Blood of Dracula, and of course ALL the Disney classics, but we were also passionate about books, going through practically all the books in our Grandfather’s home library by the time we hit our teens. The public library and bookstores were also our favourite haunts, where we could spend entire afternoons happily choosing one or two.

And now that I think about it, we were extremely imaginative and creative kids who have grown into adults who now dont even watch much television at all. In fact, these days its either my kids or my husband who monopolize our televisions, and I don’t mind one bit.

Ok, I’ll watch Martha if it happens to be on after I drop my daughter at Kindergarten and am done with the gym or morning errands, and if the latest episode of Desperate Housewives is on, its definitely Mummy’s turn tonight - but, having said that, I actually can’t sit for long periods watching the tube. My bottom aches and I’d rather be making homemade ice cream or scrapbooking in my typical Supermom drive.

My husband, on the other hand, grew up in less of a “granola” environment (the exact opposite actually) in an all-boys boarding school in England. Television was only allowed on weekends for a very limited time, and at home on holidays it was equally regulated. Not that today he’s become a coach potato, but lets just say that if he can, he’ll watch the entire DVD collection of Las Vegas or Stargate in a few days. And don’t tell anyone, but he doesn’t like reading much either.

[tags]Dynasty, television, reading, childhood[/tags]