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Conference moira::parenting_v3

Title:	Parenting
Notice:	READ 1.27 BEFORE WRITING
Moderator:	CSC32::DUBOIS

Created:	Wed May 30 1990
Last Modified:	Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1364
Total number of notes:	23848

1279.0. "Remote control calculator" by VCSESU::BRANAM (Steve, VAXcluster Sys Supp Eng MRO1-3/SL1, DTN 297-2625) Fri Jan 17 1992 11:08

For the past 6 months, my son, who is now 16 months old, has had a fascination 
with TV remote controls. I guess he saw us picking them up and pointing them
at the TV so much, and saw the TV change when we did it. It's gotten to the 
point where we can't leave the control in his sight, or he goes right after it.
He always seems to end up on channel 77. What's really a hoot is when he 
carries the control over a couple feet in front of the TV, points it out at 
arm's length at the TV, and starts mashing buttons. You have to appreciate the
stance, gut foremost.

Last night was really funny. He had slipped a calculator off the dining room 
table. It has buttons, it's the right size, must be a TV control! He carried
it in to the living room, held it out to the TV, and started pushing buttons.
I called my wife into the room and we stood there watching him, trying not to
die laughing.

It gave me an idea. He also loves to play with LED's, both numeric displays 
and single points ("Dear, why does the clock show 3 AM when it's only 7 at 
night?"). I'm going to get him a kid's calculator with big buttons and display
that can take being tossed around a bit. Hopefully I can find something with a
big red LED display, but that may be hard these days; if not, I'll try to get 
his attention on the LCD display. He can play all the button mashing he wants,
without disturbing our TV watching. Eventually he will make the connection 
between the buttons and the display and start playing with the calculator
functions and learn math and develop the unified field theory. I'm so devious!

Steve

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1279.1		A1VAX::DISMUKE	Kwik-n-e-z! That's my motto!	`Fri Jan 17 1992 11:25`	5
	Looks like the "man and his remote control" is a genetic disease! -sandy
1279.2	groan	TLE::RANDALL	liberal feminist redneck pacifist	`Fri Jan 17 1992 12:25`	8
	David does the thing with the clocks -- my bedroom alarm is his favorite toy. Nothing like having your alarm go off at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning when you were planning on sleeping in! --bonnie
1279.3		POWDML::SATOW		`Fri Jan 17 1992 12:29`	7
	> Nothing like having your alarm go off at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning > when you were planning on sleeping in! Especially when he's adjusted the volume to the "wake the dead" setting. Clay
1279.4	other victims	KAOFS::M_FETT	alias Mrs.Barney	`Fri Jan 17 1992 13:06`	8
	I hear phone answering machines are other common victims. I am less upset than I once was trying to get in touch with friends who have small children....! I suppose its still better than your three year old placing a 14 hour call to Singapore! Monica
1279.5		BRAT::CASS		`Fri Jan 17 1992 13:41`	4
	re .3 And I thought that only happened in our house....
1279.6	Phones...Musical toys?	TENVAX::MIDTTUN	Lisa Midttun,285-3450,NIO/N4,Pole H14-15	`Fri Jan 17 1992 13:48`	7
	Funny you should mention phones today....This morning, my 13 mo. old daughter showed me her favorite 'musical' toy...Pressing the speaker phone button on the base unit of the portable phone; it makes a really nice tone! But, it gets tiresome after 3 times in a row! She also loves to carry around the portable part of the phone. I always make sure the button is turned OFF (so she doesn't inadvertantly make a 3 hr. long call to Singapore!).
1279.7	but good luck with it anyway!!	TLE::C_STOCKS	Cheryl Stocks	`Fri Jan 17 1992 13:59`	7
	Steve, I hope you can take this. :) Your solution is extremely logical and creative, but I betcha it won't work. Kids are more devious and stubborn than parents. Ask me how I know... cheryl
1279.8		WMOIS::BARR_L	They say I'm nicety	`Mon Jan 20 1992 15:45`	5
	I don't think the fascination is so much the remote control but rather anything with buttons. Give my son something that has buttons, and he's satisfied for hours. Lori B.
1279.9		GOOEY::ROLLMAN		`Tue Jan 28 1992 17:00`	5
	what a timely subject. We just did two major searches of the house this week alone for the remote control. We're trying to teach her that word, so we can say "Elise, where's the remote control?"
1279.10	the TV toy	TLE::RANDALL	liberal feminist redneck pacifist	`Thu Jan 30 1992 13:24`	8
	My daughter tells me that her boyfriend's mother, who runs a daycare, taught her charges to call it "the TV toy." "Eric, where's the TV toy?" "Hid in couch!" --bonnie