Kids Gone Wild

There was a piece in the 27 November NY Times called "Kids Gone Wild", subtitled "Parents are more involved than ever before. So why do children today seem so rude?" It struck a chord since I have noticed our oldest son, who is 11, sometimes behaves rudely. Not always, but more than I would like. Is it my fault?

According to the article, "Most parents would like their children to be polite, considerate, and well behaved. But they're too tired, worn down by work and personally needy to take up the task of teaching them proper behavior at home. People don't necessarily feel great about their spouse or their job but the kids are the bright spot in the day. They don't want to muck up that one moment by getting yelled at. They don't want to hurt. They don't want to feel bad. They want to get satisfaction from their kids. They're so precious to us - maybe more than any other generation previously. What gets thrown out the window is limits. It's a lot easier to pick their towel off the floor than to get them away from the PlayStation to do it".

Amazing! It's exactly my problem! I can't believe I fit the bill perfectly. I'm glad I know what the problem is.

So now what do I do? The article doesn't give any answers.

Non so niente

I am practicing my Italian by listening to recordings in the car to and from work. If I am dedicated I can study for at least two hours a day, even more if there is traffic. Why am I doing this? I would like to be able to communicate when I go to Rome next spring. I also feel I need to get in better touch with my cultural past. And there are probably other reasons as well.

This is what I learned today:

Non so quando.
Non so chi.
Non so niente molto bene.
Non so dove.
Non so quale.
Io so poco
e quest'é male.

Very nice. Extremely useful on the streets of Rome, I would say.

Or maybe it's just what I am.

Children

Many years ago, when I brought our first child to the pediatrician, I saw a poem on the wall. It made a huge impression on me. Not long ago I read the obituary of the author in the NY Times. The poem was written by Dorothy Law Nolte. Apparently she had dashed it together to make a newspaper deadline. Now it's a classic:

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

I hope I have and will always give my children encouragement, tolerance, praise, and acceptance.

It's never too late for adults, either.

Are You the Needle or the Thread?

I've been the needle and the thread
Weaving figure eights and circles round your head
I try to laugh but cry instead
Patiently wait to hear the words you've never said

--"Must Get Out", Maroon 5

Mentors

"Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It's the only way to grow".

--Padme Amidala, Star Wars, Episode II

(I admit it. I saw it on a box of Corn Flakes).

Stem Cell Fraud

I think it's quite sad that the Korean scientist, Hwang Woo Suk, fabricated his results on establishment of human stem cells. This great advance was greeted with fanfare this past summer.

It's bad enough for a scientist to fabricate data. As a scientist I fully understand the pressures to push research forward. Personally I would never fake data; if I can't do it myself, I want nothing to do with it. I'd rather fail than fake scientific results; it's a matter of experimental pride.

What is particularly sad in this case is exemplified by a photograph I saw in the NY Times on Saturday. It shows Dr. Suk waving to a crowd of rather young people, ostensibly students, some of them weeping. The caption is "Hwang Woo Suk said farewell to students as he left his office at Seoul National University yesterday, after resigning his post there". This is the real tragedy - that he misled his own students. These are the people he was to have mentored, to have taught to become excellent and honest scientists, and he failed miserably. In so doing he scarred these future scientists, perhaps robbing them of a productive career. The data can always be supplied by someone else; the damage he has done to these young scientists will be present forever.

Narnia

I went to see "The Chronicles of Narnia" yesterday, with my three children and the child of a friend. The movie is quite well done, and evokes its share of tears from those who are so inclined (such as myself). I particularly liked Lucy, the youngest Pevensie - wonderful acting for a young child. I was least enthralled by the actress who portrayed the White Witch - I don't think she quite got the part down.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film (as did the children) without reading anything religious into its story. It's a great tale on its own, and both adults and children will enjoy it.

I particularly liked the line "I haven't felt this good in 100 years". Can't remember who said it and when, but it's a good one.

Gandalf quote

A few days ago I sent this wonderful quotation from 'Lord of the Rings' to a friend of mine. It is from the mouth of Gandalf:

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that we are given."

Every now and then I think we all have to step back and think about that one. In fact we all have a limited amount of time here, and we should make the most of it.

Thank you, Paola, for making me think of that.

Virologist?

I'm thinking about the title of this blog: "Ramblings of an east coast virologist". Why do I define myself by my profession? This is after all a personal blog, not virus-related (that one can be found at www.virology.ws) - so why can't I find another title that characterizes me? Am I only defined by work? Is there nothing else? I better think of something, or else it will be very sad.