Welcome to the parent hood, my friend. Redbook magazine asked parents to name the number one thing they WISH other people knew about their kids.

1. Sometimes my kids are loud and obnoxious and it’s not because I’m a bad parent.
2. Boys are naturally curious and don’t always sit still with their hands in their laps.
3. Just because my house is messy doesn’t mean I don’t clean.
4. If I had my way I wouldn’t bring my kids to the store with me. But I can’t afford a babysitter.
5. Children don’t come out of molds. They are very individual and have their own quirks that don’t always follow ‘the rules’ in the parenting books.
6. Raising cats and dogs is not the same as raising a child.
7. I value my child’s naptime. We’ll come to your event . . . but if we don’t work it around the nap, my kids won’t be all happy and smiling.
8. I understand that you’re getting annoyed. Please have patience while I learn to be a parent and while my kids learn to be people.
9. Children are not miniature adults. They won’t react to things the same way a rational adult would.
10. Babies cry and toddlers throw fits. They are not good or bad because of that . . . it just makes them a child.
11. Please get over simply crying and whining at the grocery store and restaurants. I can’t teach my kids to behave in those places if I never take them there.

What would you add to the list?

Our 4 year old, however, wanted more. And more. And more. The more he opened, the more he wanted. He’d barely look at what was inside the box before turning to find more wrapping paper to shred.

Did your kids act spoiled on Christmas Day? Chances are they did, and we’re to blame.

According to a new survey by Parenting magazine, 76% of parents say their kids act spoiled and are less grateful than they should be during the holidays.

59% of parents say that their kids are more spoiled than they were as kids. Only 11% say they’re less spoiled.

The average parent spent $271 per child on gifts this year, and 30% will spend over $300.

76% of parents say they feel GUILTY about saying “no” to something on their child’s wish list, and 18% try to give their kids EVERYTHING they ask for.

The harder you try to make them happy, the more they want, just scan Twitter for some complaining keywords just after Christmas morning and you’ll see the level of entitlement we’re enabling.

Spoiled brats show their true colours on Twitter

Once again my wife and I have made a pact that next year we’ll dial it down. Bring some sanity and meaning back to the morning.

What about you, did you spoil your kids this week?

John Gruber at Daring Fireball nails what it means to be a Dad at Christmas:

Late last night, inspecting Santa’s handiwork, a simple thought occurred to me. A decade or so from now, when, say, I’m waiting for my son to come home from college for his winter break, and, when he does, he wants to spend his time going out with his friends — how much will I be willing to pay then to be able to go back in time, for one day, to now, when he’s eight years old, he wants to go to movies and play games and build Lego kits with me, and he believes in magic?

How much then, for one day with what my family has right now? How much? Everything.

The truth is, I’m the luckiest person in the world today. I hope you are too.

This time of year can drown in stressful chaos, if you let it, or you can bathe in the glow of the best day ever.

There are some variants in that list, but basically he’s a brown food kid. He doesnt do pizza, he won’t do sauce. His mild palate is good news in that he’s never had pop (doesnt want to try it) and doesn’t like candy (other than chocolate). He’ll eat carrots and cucumbers, but that’s about as far as the vegetable tasting goes.

MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO

In the spring, experts were saying the best way was to lead by example.
The report said children will eat vegetables if they see their parents eating them AND enjoying them.

If a child sees you eating vegetables with a smile on your face, they’ll be more likely to want to eat them. But if it looks like you’re choking them down, they’ll have even less interest in eating them.

STICK IT TO THEM

A new study out of University College London tested different methods to get kids to eat vegetables, and found that one worked MUCH better than the others: Bribing your kids with STICKERS.

The researchers found that when parents gave small stickers to three-and-four-year-old kids as rewards for eating TINY pieces of vegetables, over a few weeks, the kids actually started liking those vegetables.

How much is tiny? About the size of a child’s pinky fingernail. Baby steps.

Three months later, the kids who got stickers were more likely to be willing to eat more of their vegetables than kids in other test groups.

WHAT DOESNT WORK

The researchers also found that rewarding kids with food didn’t work. As in, “eat your broccoli and you’ll get ice cream.” Because it made the kids compare vegetables to dessert, and vegetables are ALWAYS going to lose that battle.

And giving your kids praise didn’t work either. As in, “Wow! You’re a great vegetable taster!” Because kids just don’t care about achieving higher status in the realm of vegetable tasting.

Stickers, on the other hand, are awesome.

Well, today I’m putting my Cinema “Minor” to work and that means digging through film history and pulling out title gems that are too often overshadowed by Avatar or the all-impressive Star Wars. These films will change your life (or they should), so sit down, strap in and load these puppies up in your Netflix queue. Here are the best of the best in their respective categories. Enjoy these films. You will be a better nerd for watching them.

Harry Potter (hah, just kidding. I love the series, but it’s not on this list)

Willow (1988)
I need to watch this movie again. It’s a great story and an example of ILM in it’s early days.

The Iron Giant (1999)
Before Brad Bird brought you films like The Incredibles and Ratatouille, The Iron Giant tells the story of an unusual relationship between a little boy and a giant robot from space.

The 5000 Fingers of Dr.T (1953)
A film by Dr. Seuss… but it’s not a cartoon. I still can’t believe this film came out in 1953, it’s so ahead of its time and yes, the man who plays the part of Dr. T is also the voice of Captain Hook in the film Peter Pan.

The Secret of NIMH (1982)
This beautifully animated film is a Don Bluth classic that will change the way you look at mice, scientific testing on animals and cinderblocks.

Flight of Navigator (1986)
If you were lucky enough to be a kid when this movie came out, this is probably one of the bright spots in your past.

Steamboy (2004)
This is a beautifully told story that can only be told in animation. If you like steampunk, and anime, you have to see this film.

*batteries not included (1987)
Some tiny spaceships arrive on Earth and help a group of tenants about to be evicted save their homes.

Mac and Me (1988)
Mac and Me is my alternative for ET (which everyone has seen). It’s a cute film and one I watched over and over when it came out.

The Labyrinth (1986)
Again, David Bowie appears in this list, but this time he’s better dressed. If you’re raising a young nerd-in-training, you’ll want to have them watch this film, with puppets courtesy of Jim Henson.

Legend (1985)
Tim Curry is stunning in this film that was, in my opinion, ahead of its time.

Star Dust (2007)
Seriously, even if you’re tired of the whole fantasy genera, I’m still betting you’ll be taken with how fun and well-done this film is. I was pleasantly surprised and enchanted by it.

The Goonies (1985)
While I think everyone from my generation has seen this film a zillion times, I’m posting the film here, just in case someone hasn’t yet shown it to their children. Another Steven Speilberg gem.

The Princess Bride (1987)
Every nerd I’ve ever met can quote this movie backwards and forwards… but as with The Goonies, I’m posting this film here because there may be younglings who haven’t seen this.

Dark Crystal (1987)
Really, is there anything Jim Henson can’t do? Here’s one of his best works ever. It’s gorgeous, and the characters feel so alive, you’ll wish their world was real.

The Golden Compass (2007)
While this film was supposed to be part of a larger series, I have a feeling they won’t make a sequel… but they should. I love this film. It’s a lot more terrifying and interesting than I would have thought.

Titan A.E. (2000)
If you’ve actually heard of this movie, I’ll be surprised. It’s one of the few Don Bluth films that didn’t get a ton of attention when it came out (remember An American Tail?) This is a great star-studded sci-fi cartoon (with music from The Black Eyed Peas) that kids and adults will like.

Go Forth and Get Your Geek On
I give you this list so that you may know and understand all things nerd, for no one is simply born a nerd. We are a people, drawn in by the light of technology, science fiction and the possibilities of humanity and the future. We come in every age, gender, hue and kind and we are not simply born nerds… we become nerds.

Here is the full Epic Nerd-Approved Movie List

By Jennifer L. Jacobson
Reprinted with permission from Retrevo.com

However, if my son has an iPad and you ask him to hand it to you, it’s not going to happen. You can’t even take the iPad and replace with an iPhone, he knows which one he wants and he’s not ready to give it up.

The dependance we now have on technology to entertain our kids has led to some experts calling tablets “digital pacifiers.”

As much as kids enjoy playing with an iPad, parents should limit the amount of time they spend plopped down with the device, said Gwenn O’Keeffe, a pediatrician in Boston who has studied the effects of technology on children and works with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Toddlers under 2 shouldn’t play with an iPad unless it’s only being used to display books, she said.

Victoria Nash, a researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute who also has studied the topic, said some parents use gadgets as a “digital pacifier.”

“We know already that there are dangers with watching too much television and doing too much online gaming,” she said.
[Bloomberg]

One of the effects of too much screen time is a delay in speech development. My 23 month old only has a handful of words, most of them not fully formed. There is no doubt my younger son’s speech is behind the development my older son (no iPad) showed.

Still, the iPad is a treat for the couch or the playroom in our house. We don’t have a minivan that will blast Dora, Diego, and the Wonder Pets every time the family gets loaded up to go to the grocery store. And when we get there, I don’t hand them an iPhone to stare at while I wander the aisles.

Some swing the meter far to the other side. Waldorf Schools don’t allow any access to technology until 8th grade, and encourage parents to continue that ideology at home.

Waldorf schools … subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks. Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.

The Waldorf method is nearly a century old, but its foothold here among the digerati puts into sharp relief an intensifying debate about the role of computers in education.

“I fundamentally reject the notion you need technology aids in grammar school,” said Alan Eagle, 50, whose daughter, Andie, is one of the 196 children at the Waldorf elementary school; his son William, 13, is at the nearby middle school. “The idea that an app on an iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that’s ridiculous.”
[NYT]

I’m trying to strike a balance between digital and analog play for my children. Along with the digital books that we share, I still turn pages and my iPhone attached son equally loves the time he spends on my lap reading books by Oliver Jeffers.

If you think your kid is spending too much time on their iPad and not enough time outside getting some exercise, don’t blame the iPad. Before the iPad, they were playing video games, and before video games they were watching TV, and before TV they were reading comic books. Throughout history, you will uncover generations of youth who would rather sit around and play than go outside and play.

It’s not technologies’ fault that a kid is lazy… it comes down to parenting, values and the child’s disposition.
[Twist Image]

How do you handle technology in your home? Video games, iPads, iPods, Gameboys, TVs, etc ..

Wander your playroom and look in the bins at what your kids already have.

My mother saved a bunch from when I was a kid for Nana’s toybox. The Fisher Price town, airport and circus are classics. Timeless. My boys eat them up when they go there.

The Toy Hall of Fame has inducted 46 toys since it started in 1998.

Barbie, Easy Bake Oven, Checkers, Ball, Playing Cards, Kite, Lego, Teddy Bear and Marbles are all in the hall.

No Tickle Me Elmo. No Transformers.

The 2011 Toy Hall of Fame inductees included blanket, dollhouse and Hot Wheels.

Geekdad recently came up with a list of the Top 5 Toys of All Time.

5. Dirt
4. Cardboard Tube
3. String
2. Box
1. Stick

While you’re flipping through the Toys R Us catalog and going over your child’s wish list, think about this: when armed with imagination a child is unstoppable.

Or you can get them to go and get you things. First, start off small. Have them go and pick up your shoes before you head out the back door. Have them get the remote that is just out of reach on the other end of the couch. Have them open the garage door when you go outside.

Then, once they’ve established the ability to consistently follow directions, you’re ready for the good stuff. Have them go to the fridge in the basement while you’re on the couch upstairs watching the game and get you a beer.

The best part? They are totally eager to do it and pitch in.

Kids are good. They bring you beer.

What’s your favorite trick you’ve taught your kids?

So at first glance you react with the typical parental “OMG. Nooooooo.” And we feel bad for the mom. Then our brain starts to do the math and it doesn’t add up.

A quiet whisper of “oh my god, oh my god” is not the typical parental reaction. Okay, she’s in shock. But the video goes on too long with her repeating the same line. There would be more questions for the kids, there would be laughing, there would be cursing. A calm wandering (with a video camera) would not be happening.

She tries to hard to make it look real. The panning of the video doesnt make sense. The flour is totally all over the living room. It’s evenly spread on the sofa. It’s on the lamp. It’s on the wall. It’s on the door. It’s on the counter. It’s on the picture.

These kids are 4 and 2. If they dragged it from the pantry and started playing with it, it would stay on the floor. A bag of flour is heavy, for a toddler. If it went out of control, they’d be giggling and screaming at the mess. Mom would know something is up by the noise coming from down the hall and she’d be able to catch it before it got to this disastrous level.

Comments are disabled on the video’s page. If this was authentic, the stream of parents offering sympathy and support would be overflowing. Somewhere along the way, the message went off track and the math didn’t make sense. When the video was approaching 1M views, 1/3 of the feedback was “didn’t like” – that tells me the BS filter went off.

The reaction on Twitter was the same. At first parents were sympathetic – then reality struck.

Mary Napoli of Michigan describes how she walked into her living room to find the couches, carpet, walls and floors completely covered in flour and her two young sons playing in the snowlike mess.

To the skeptics, she says: “The boys had a nice ‘talking to’ by me and my husband after, you can bet on that … I may never buy flour again!” [ABC]

If you want to know what really happens when kids get in the flour – have a look at Sarah Funk‘s blog.

The screen time isn’t limited to the tv.  Kids like to mimic parents, and while my 14 month old’s favourite household toy is a big red broom (my wife is an obsessive sweeper), he also clamours excitedly whenever he sees my iPhone.

Toss my preschooler into the mix and then you’re not just talking about Diego and Backyardigans videos on repeat, you’re talking about about an obsession with all technology that goes right to the iPad.  And it’s not surprising.  80% of kids under 5 access the web every week.  While some of them access it inadvertently through in app purchases, others are spending time with Google, games and the web.

Since your kids are doing it anyway, here are some of the best apps and websites to help your kids have a more educational experience with the internet.

Dr Seuss – a huge collection of the good doctor’s books have been turned into interactive apps. Touch the screen and the characters move or make sounds.

TreehouseTV – they love the channel, so why not visit the website. There are games and characters to explore as well as some offline suggestions, like pages you can print off to colour.

Bubble Ball – how awesome is it that my 3 1/2 yr old son is obsessed with a physics game?  The design is simple, get the ball from the start to the finish by applying fun movement objects and twists to gravity.  He picked it up quickly and even some of the tougher puzzles he can quickly solve on his own.

Kids CBC – again it’s a website version of tv programs they’re likely plugged in to all morning.  The gang on the show is very savvy (co-host Patty is on Twitter)

ABC Pocketphonics – one of the big problems with kids getting online and immersing themselves in keyboards and touch screens is the loss of handwriting skills.  Learning letters and how they’re formed is still important and very helpful in learning to read.  This app is one of my son’s favourites.

For a longer list of websites, check out Today’s Parent top 20 websites for kids.  Some of them are kid friendly search engines, offer crafts and investigations and all sorts of mind play for this growing tech savvy generation.

Where are your favourite places to take your kids online?

(this post was originally published on the Future Shop Tech Blog)