Dec

22

They laughed when I bought science toys for my girls. They laughed when I arranged science lessons for them with a race car mechanic who knew how to take a hair dryer and car apart et. al. But when my daughter Kira today got into Columbia Engineering early admissions they gathered around and wanted to know about those lessons and toys.

Alan Millhone comments:

One has to be in the world yet apart from it when it comes to things that count in one's life. Anything that gives anyone an edge is most important. Your story hits home as my youngest grandson is eleven today and as I type he and his thirteen year old brother are playing Jenga with grandma at the kitchen table. My daughter at present has no Internet and a TV converter box and limits TV and video games. Studies, and going to our local library, rule the day in her home. The boys play checkers and chess and many other board games and do activities as a family unit. She lets the oldest son cook with her watching and are taught to respect others and to know right from wrong.

Michael Bonderer writes:

Cool. So how did it work with your other daughters? I get the Variety headline summary every morning and caught today’s piece on the acceptance into Sundance of a film your daughter Galt is a part of. Did some gravitate to timing-chains and fuel injection valves and others go a different direction?

Rocky Humbert adds:

Congratulations to the both of you. I hope she enjoys her journey… and is an exception to Summers’s rule.

Mark Bates recounts:

At my niece's wedding over the weekend, I couldn't help but stop and admire my own kids. The oldest girl is home from Moscow where she has entered the working world teaching and developing her diplomatic and communication skills. The next, the cheerleader, is one interview away from admission to medical school. The next with her gifts in dramatic arts and friendship will probably make it rich before the first two. The most curious one that night, though, was my handsome but shy 12 year old son who figured out how to lure numerous beautiful coeds to the dance floor… They are the only thing I've ever done right.

Victor Niederhoffer replies:

And if that's the only thing, it is very good according to selfish gene as you created much current and future fitness with just a small sacrifice.

Anet Ahern writes:

For my daughter's seventh birthday party I shunned Disney, pamper and dance themed parties and had a science experiment party instead. Twenty girls watched goo explode, plastic bottle rockets take off, and fumes turn colourful. Later in the year for career day she said she wanted to become an archeologist during the week and a rock singer (for charity mind you) on the weekends. So I'm with you on sabotaging early socialisation.


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3 Comments so far

  1. Sumit Agrawal on December 22, 2009 2:35 am

    Reminds me of

    -The Highwayman http://brokenandrebuilt.blogspot.com/2007/09/highwayman-alfred-noyes.html

    -Paul Reveres Midnight Ride http://poetry.eserver.org/paul-revere.html

    -Kipling's Ballad of East and West

  2. abraham dartmouth on December 22, 2009 7:26 am
    Congratulations to your daughter, may she do well and prosper.
  3. legacy daily on December 23, 2009 10:48 pm

    Congratulations! This is indeed great news. I hope some day the science history books will be filled with names of many women whose works have resulted in breakthroughs. Women's diligence and also different way of approaching the same problems could be the source of the next wave of humanity's achievements in science and engineering.

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