The kid is six years old, and obese. His parents are in denial. If the doctor says, ‘Well, he doesn’t need to gain any weight,’ my sister takes that as meaning his weight is fine. I’ve cajoled and I’ve pleaded and I’ve nagged. I’ve pointed out that my nephew is at risk for juvenile diabetes, not to mention heart disease, and social ostracism at school. It’s like talking to a wall.
But there are other issues. He’s not well-behaved. I asked my mother if I behaved as he did when I was his age, and she told me, ‘You weren’t allowed to.’ You tell him not to do something, and he’ll do it as soon as your back is turned. And he seems to be talking at a much lower age-level. Now, I don’t hang around kids, but I’m sure I communicated better than he when I was his age. Heck, when I was three and four, I was translating Japanese for my mom!
He’s a very affectionate kid. He gets along with other kids. My sister reports that he gets ‘attaboys’ at school, and that the teachers say he’s bright. (He went to Head Start, BTW.) But they also report that he’s not well-behaved. My sister says it’s easier to give him what he wants than to discipline him.
I can’t do anything for his physical condition, nor his behaviour problems. But I might be able to ‘help him out’ with education. I know he gets frustrated sometimes when things aren’t easy, so I thought that from now on I’ll try to get him toys that will teach him something when presents-time comes round. If science is fun, then he may be willing to learn more. But what to get him?
He’s too young for model rockets or chemistry sets. He’d probably break a telescope or get bored with it. He likes airplanes, but I’m too far away to take him flying and I’m not current anyway. He likes rocks, but for throwing rather than studying. Living in San Diego, there are some excellent opportunities for being exposed to oceanography (when I was only a little older than my nephew I was fascinated by Scripps) – not to mention the zoo, Wild Animal Park, Natural History Musem, etc. Of course, my sister and BIL would have to get off of their arses and take him. They find that sort of thing dull, and would rather go JetSkiing in the bay.
I thought maybe I could get him toys that would increase his physical activity, and perhaps help him get his body under control in spite of himself. A couple of years ago I tried to get him into the kayak, but he was afraid of it. They live on top of a hill, many sports-type things could easily get away and be dangerous for him to chase down.
When I was a kid I had a skateboard and a bicycle. I built things with the nominally-educational Tinker Toys. When I was a few years older than my nephew I built model rockets and played with a Radio Shack electronics kit. I had a chemistry set. Growing up in the Apollo era, and with dad being a pilot and being employed by the FAA, I soaked up an appreciation for aerospace.
So what can I do to improve my nephew’s future?
I also reminded her of Scripps, and she said, ‘Oh, yeah! I forgot about that!’ So there may be hope.