Connecting Under Water

Last summer we wanted to do something with our two teenage boys.

Something that they would enjoy (aside from sleeping all day).

I offered a week-long hiking trip – not interesting enough.

A few days of sun and sea in Cyprus? no takers.

When I suggested a scuba diving course in Eilat – they were into it!

So we did the 7-day course – great – exciting – and a really great way to spend time with my kids.

In the winter we did some diving – the water is the about the same temp all year in Eilat!

Yesterday we drove down  to Eilat (about 4 hours) and did some more diving together – another successful trip!

I recommend a diving course if you want to have a great time and find a great way to spend time together with your teenagers!

scubaJuly192013

 

Mean Guys & Good Guys

A few years ago when my two eldest sons were little kids my mom once commented that when they were playing they were talking about ‘Good Guys’ who were fighting ‘Mean Guys’. She commented that usually kids talk about Good Guys and Bad Guys.

I always thought Good and Mean were good opposites.

A few days ago I realized why.

Calling them ‘bad guys’ doesn’t give you enough information – it implies that perhaps its not their fault, maybe it’s just an undeserved label.

‘Mean guys’ on the other hand, deserve what they get. Their crime is in their poor behavior.

So we’re sticking to Mean Guys – seems like they deserve whatever the Good Guys dish out anyway…

My kids have superpowers!

My friend Raphael recommended the TV Series ‘No Ordinary Family‘ as a good way to pass the time on the flight into the US last night.
I downloaded some episodes on Friday afternoon and let my kids watch. They were glued to the screen – one of the characters is super fast and another is super strong. One of the kids is suddenly super-genius and the other can read minds.

Interesting that the script calls for each character to have one really strong power – but otherwise they are normal.

Something about their fascination with regular people who have superpowers, made me think – my kids have superpowers too!

I started to explain to my kids that each of them (and us) has superpowers just like the people in the show.
– I have one kid who can make anyone smile anytime with no effort
– One can remember the details of everything better than a computer
– Another is super-creative and can envision things he’s never seen

And my adult friends – almost all of them have recognizable super-powers too:
– Some have superpowers in investing – they always make money
– Some help people solve even really tough issues
– Some are able to keep calm in every situation
– Some can eat 3X as much as me and stay thin as a stick

This requires a bit more thought… but my initial thinking is that teaching kids (and adults?) to recognize their own superpowers and then thinking about the best way to use them (and perhaps it’s even a responsibility to do so!) should give them a real feeling of empowerment. And if that doesn’t work, they can still wear the cape.