Author Archives: Jonathan Sircy

My daughter starts kindergarten next week. She’s head to a public school. I would like my wife to be open to us homeschooling her. Today, I became aware of an emotional barrier to that goal: the legacy of wife’s family. My wife’s family came to America in the late 18th Century and has been onContinue reading “Legacy”

My daughter and I are on the road visiting my parents. We forgot her favorite bear, and we had a crisis at bedtime last night. “I can’t sleep without Almondine!” she cried. “You can do it!” I encouraged her. It was a battle between a FIXED and GROWTH mindset. Of course, she slept well (andContinue reading ““Remember This!””

Today, I drove my daughter to my parents. We spent time about three hours of daddy/daughter time in the car and in my parents’ pool. As she is wont, my daughter talked a lot. Today, I struck by her questions. Me (in the car): “We’re going to listen to this lecture on literature for awhile.”Continue reading “Conversations”

My daughter attended a day-long VBS extravaganza which let my wife and I grab some lunch and conversation time. As we feasted on some delicious barbecue, my wife asked me if I was excited about our daughter attending kindergarten. It gave me a chance to articulate the basic premise behind this site. I feel responsibleContinue reading ““Are You Excited?””

My daughter is a perfectionist. My daughter is impatient. She wants things done exactly the way she wants them done, and she wants them done yesterday. This is a flammable combination. Since reading Carol Dweck’s landmark book Mindset, I’ve become more away of how my daughter uses “fixed mindset” language. She says she will “never”Continue reading “The Fixed Mindset”

This week, I’m feeling more acutely the tension between my direction and my daughter’s passion. For instance, at the same time that I’ve gotten her to practice specific songs on the piano, it seems like her own desire to fool around on the piano has gone down. But this morning, she told me she hadContinue reading “Songs”

I have taken my daughter to the local children’s museum thirty or forty times over the past two years. I have only taken her twice since COVID hit. Today was the second time. Here’s how I know writing this blog will be good for me: I realized how haphazard my aims are regarding this timeContinue reading “The Children’s Museum”

My wife had a great idea for a family outing today. My daughter and I would go to the dollar movies while my wife shopped. We’d get back together and grab some pizza for lunch. We had two movies to choose from: The Lego Movie 2 or Minions: The Rise of Groo. My initial inclinationContinue reading “Minions at the Movies”