Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

No computer program can replace a parent.  An ad on TV glowingly praised a computer program for teaching a young child basics like numbers and colors, etc.  A computer can not instill a sense of wonder and thirst for knowledge.  The interaction of a parent to his/her child is vital.  The right computer program can only be an aid.  The primary teacher of a child is always the parent who can nurture their proclivities.  The interaction of a computer program is always limited.  I don’t care how well designed the program is.  A computer program can never replace a parent or teacher.

Tags: child, computer program, interaction, nurture, parent, sense of wonder, teacher, thirst for knowledge, TV ad
Posted in children, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

It is going to be odd meeting someone you played with as a child sixty years ago.  And then lost contact with.  What do you share of your life.  Sixty years is a lifetime.  What do you have to show for it?  His call from Paris came out of the blue.  Somehow he tracked me down.  I am nervous about meeting him and his family.  The rendezvous may only last sixty minutes.  We may tire of each other right away.  What do you relate that is important in that short period?  How can you possibly sum up the highlights of your life?  Should you even try?  Maybe, just enjoy each others company.  We will see.

Tags: child, childhood friend, highlights of your life, lifetime, nervous, Paris, rendezvous, sixty years, tracked me down
Posted in life, relationships, seasons, time | No Comments »

It is so hard to retrace your steps.  I can’t tell you the year but I do precisely remember visiting some relatives.  They were both artists.  And for the first time someone did not tell me what to do, what to believe.  I felt accepted and listened to for the first time.

When you are a child, whatever your particular reality, it is yours.  My parents were dysfunctional (and I know every family is) but I was used to being told how I should be.  All the time.  To them, there was only one way to do something–their way.

My visit was a turning point.  There was another way.  I was not even aware of it.  Later, I only felt free walking Greenwich Village.  Then later still –the journey took years– I felt free every where but I still remember that first time.  It was a turning point.  There was another way to be.  It became okay to be me and different.

Tags: another way to be, artists, being told how to be, child, dysfunctional parents, felt accepted, felt free, felt listened to, Greenwich Village, okay to be different, okay to be me, relatives, retrace your steps, tell me what to do, turning point, your reality is yours
Posted in art, balance, beauty, children, God, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom, your job/mission/profession | No Comments »