Are you an overprotective parent or a neglectful dad?!

New Scientist Article

I just read this article and learned that the kids with over-protective parents and/or neglectful fathers grow up with slow brain growth!  😮  Wow… we all want to protect our kids… but with something like this, it does bring up a good counter point of when is a parent too protective?!

To think that my being overly protective can prohibit or slow my kids’ brain growth and development is shocking to say the least!  In the end, I am sure as a parent, we would want to choose safety over intelligence but if we can balance that well and not bind our own kids, we should make conscientious choice to do so… even if it’s only half true!

While I understand that many will display concern to avoid blame game, it does raise up a good point that when you overprotect a child, that child will become less and less involved in decision making process, let alone thinking for themselves… that’s the biggest factor/danger that any parent should be aware of…

Again, as a parent, if I had to choose between safety of my kids and their intelligence, I’d choose safety hands down… but if I can help it, I need to also learn to let go and let them start “walking on their own” whenever I can.

All of us Asians have gone through much of this in our childhoods, mine included, but since most of us came out decently (or so I tell myself :P), surely it isn’t the end of the world… 

It is however, very shocking to learn that NEGLECTFUL FATHTERS have equal impact on inhibiting the children’s mental development!! o_O I am more concerned about that…  Time to spend more time with my kids!!!!

JJ’s Second Birthday!

Well, it seems like at least our family is complete!  I learned yesterday that now JJ has received Christ as his savior! 😀  He told mommy that he raised his hand and that it was his decision.

So now, all four of us are saved… I am valuing more and more of these after-school Christian programs.  Be sure to look up at your kids’ schools to see if they have anything even remotely similar to my kids’ “Good News Club”!

Woohoo!!

Super-critical Fuel Injection!!

Now we are talking!!  Innovative and (relatively) inexpensive way to increase fuel efficiency and cut CO2 emissions?!  Sign me up!!

Video Link

According to this startup company called Transonic Combustion, they created a way to make conventional engines at least 50% more fuel efficient!!  Sign me up!!

Is GT All It’s Cracked Up To Be?!

No, I am not talking about cars… though it is something I can easily talk about.  I am referring to the “Gifted & Talented” program.  One of our kids, I won’t mention who, has been nominated and admitted into the GT program.  I for one am not so sure about it though… especially in regards to long-term perspective.

Sure it allows advanced or fast-learning kids to not get bored by giving them more stuff… but I see more drawbacks than anything else… Let me explain.  First of all, smart people are easily anti-social and tend to not work well with people… especially those that they don’t consider as intelligent.  Second of all, smart people don’t understand how the world turns.  On the daily level.  Intelligent people tend to get isolated from what normal average people feel and experience.

Ok, so you may think that I am exaggerating things and stereotyping people a bit.  And that is true but so far, I haven’t been proved wrong.  I worry that GT program would isolate the child even further than necessary from regular people and how things turn around daily…  If you recall, I have said over and over that I’d trade smart kids for sociable ones on any given day!  Smart kids tend to think better of themselves.  My wife’s friend’s child is showing such symptoms, as well as co-worker’s son.  I am not saying that all smart people are evil.  But it sure seems easy to become so…

If this world is to become a better place, we need people who can tolerate others and work with others.  Together.  Not a bunch of smart self-reliant people.  Take that as my 2 cents… If humility can be in co-existence though… then it can save the intelligent.