I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good dad. My kids don’t hate me. Obviously that’s a low threshold, but we’ve got to start somewhere, right?They’re not jerks (even though sometimes I wish that they would act like jerks), they do what they’re supposed to, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. Because they’re mostly cool kids, I like to do things with them and for them.As any parent knows, one of a good mom or dad’s responsibilities is schoolwork. I’m not talking about helping with homework, or giving clues as to where your child might find the answer to a particular question. I’m talking about actually doing most of the work—or maybe even all of the work—for the kid.Don’t even try to tell me, “I wouldn’t do schoolwork for my child. They’ll never learn if they don’t have to do it themselves.”Hogwash!Have you ever been to a science fair? Dozens of kids stand around and try to explain to the judges why their parents should win the science fair. Sure, we all pretend that the kid did the work, but we know the truth.Mom or dad did the majority of the cutting and pasting on the poster board, and they printed out the nifty little signs with words like Question, Hypothesis, and Conclusion, and they probably thought of the idea in the first place, because, really, how many “Do Plants Grow Better with Water, Milk or Pop?” science projects do we need?It’s not just in school though. I remember taking part in a pinewood derby race in Cub Scouts. My car finished last, and some of the other cars moved like Ferraris. How’d those kids get their cars to go so fast? They asked Dear Old Dad, who didn’t want his kid to finish last, so he “helped.”I quit Cub Scouts soon after that. I checked the Cub Scout handbook and nowhere did I find a section that gave me permission to beat up the kids whose dad built their cars for them, so I decided that wasn’t an organization I wanted to be a part of.But let’s get back to my current failure.Somewhere between having your kid turn in an assignment you completed, and telling him that he’s on his own, is a middle ground. I like that middle ground. Help, but don’t do it for them. Makes sense.My youngest son is in second grade. In February he brought home information about the Flat Stanley project. I remember helping his older sister and brother with this, and I loved it. It’s the perfect project for parental involvement, because the kid isn’t required to do too much anyway, and the things they are required to do are either really easy (color this picture!) or really hard (find the mailing address for a bunch of people who are willing to do this project with you/ for you).In case you don’t know about Flat Stanley, let me explain. It’s a book in which a boy, Stanley, is flattened when a chalkboard falls on him. Because he’s flat he decides to mail himself around the world and go on adventures. It’s a way to teach kids geography.
Since I’m a geography nut, I get super psyched about Flat Stanley. When my daughter did it, she had people around the country sending things to her. My older son did it two years ago and I knew people in Paris, Rio and London that were kind enough to participate.So I had big plans this year. I’d talk to a bunch of people and we’d try to get Flat Stanley all around the world again.But then I failed.First, it turns out that somehow over the past couple of years, I’ve come to know fewer people internationally. I could request the same people do it again, but that seems a little over the top. There are people I know who are in cool places, but I don’t know any of them well enough to help with this.So I turned to a couple of people who live away from Chicago and who could be counted on. And they both agreed to complete the Flat Stanley (actually it’s Flat Brian in this case, named after my son) project. (Thanks Danielle and Jill!)And then I did…nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Loserville.Not only did I not recruit more people, I didn’t even send the material to the people I did recruit! And now the deadline’s a couple of weeks away, and Flat Brian has zero frequent flier miles.Time to turn to the blog. You’re reading this right now. Do you live more than 100 miles away? If so, do you want me to send Flat Brian to you, along with a journal page for you to complete and return to my son’s school no later than May 1?You do? Holy cow, you’re awesome. E-mail me with your mailing address, and I’ll drop Flat Brian in the mail to you right away! I’ll even include postage so you can send him back.Thanks for helping me out with this.Maybe there’s still time to correct this Dad Failure!PREVIOUS POST: Britt McHenry Should be Drawn and QuarteredIF YOU LIKED THIS POST I BET YOU'LL ALSO LIKE: Why Maps Are Better Than GPS+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Want an e-mail every time I write something new? Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. I'm not going to send you a bunch of junk, and you can ditch me any time you want.