Comments on: nebbish \NEB-ish\

By: wendy

wendy — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:59:42 +0000

It’s ALL a trick question, so tricky I have no answer.

I DID just hear someone use this word in a sentence during an interview! “he’s kind of a wimpy, nebbishy guy”

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:47:55 +0000

Hmmm, in truth, neither of us should be fearful.

Are you asking a trick question?

By: wendy

wendy — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:18:00 +0000

Wow, Jim! I’ll go out on a limb and guess no one here is doing that now. Of course, every child is different. Some can be left alone a lot younger than others; some have more common sense and could handle certain outings.

Most importantly, some have a better sense of DIRECTION!! I would have ended up lost in Capitol Hill or something if I wandered alone downtown. I STILL get lost!

By: Nadine

Nadine — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:49:07 +0000

Being a parent is definitely a tough job.

By: Jim Thomsen

Jim Thomsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:43:45 +0000

Always err on the side of letting the kid learn and play and explore and discover for himself or herself.

When I was nine or ten years old, my dad would give me $10 on random Sunday mornings and send me to Seattle on foot by myself to walk around the neighborhoods and look at cool new things I hadn’t seen before. When I got home, he wanted me to write about everything I saw and did.

He saw it as a creative exercise. I saw it as fun and liberating. Neither of us saw it as dangerous.

Almost as bad as constricting a kid out of fear is constricting a kid out of the misguided belief that any unorganized activity is a waste of time. Hence all the soccer leagues, dance lessons, music instruction, stage productions, day camps, church outings, Scouting, blah blah blah that Bainbridge moms are hyper-notorious for.

Enough already, parents. Just let the kid play in the nearest park with the other kids. Or roam the woods by himself or herself. Kids a butterfly. Let them flutter free. That’s what I did, and, all evidence to the contrary, I turned out just flipping fine.

Put the net down, have a decaf latte, take a bath and chill out already.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:24:39 +0000

My kids made me insane AND turned me into a nebbish. I guess there’s not much hope for them in the end, eh?

By: Sheri L.

Sheri L. — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:53:33 +0000

I aways figured worrying was my job and hers was to jump in the deep end of life, provided she has finished those pesky swim lesson, again my responsibility. I’ve seen a lot of kids who are scared and/or worriers, and usually it seems that a parent who is too much of a worrier imprints it on the kid. Its hard to teach a kid confidence and assertiveness if you don’t have any. Kinda the can’t sell what you don’t own mentality. Which is sad cuz those kids always seem less happy.