From 'how to bullshit' to 'how to raise kids' (just kiddin')

Word of the day: Locavore.

http://environment.about.com/od/health/f/What-is-a-Locavore.htm

I thought this word above, which I came across only today, was an interesting portmanteau. Singaporeans, of course, cannot afford to be locavores... we'll die of hunger!

Relooking yesterday's posting, I thought about No 2 on the spoof list, "Great presentation skills: Able to bullshit." I wondered what the Internet would throw up. I found this (not to be taken seriously, of course) article on "How to bullshit":

http://www.ehow.com/how_2075020_bullshit.html

The short article's intro is intriguing... "Knowing how to bullshit takes time to master. But with practice and confidence, you too can become a Class-A bullshitter." Go on, click on the link, and have a good laugh.

Final musing for today... I wonder if today's Singaporean parents are too hung up in trying to connect to their teenage children or to chart a preferred path for their young 'uns? There are so many "how to" questions about becoming the perfect parent. I was on the bus and I saw this poster outside Ngee Ann Polytechnic -- "Parenting Talk: What does your teen really want? Attack of the 'Me' Generation."

There seems to be a belief too in cause-and-effect actions. In yesterday's Sunday Times (19 June), one young man -- taking very seriously his role as the godfather (when he was just 21 years old) to a young boy -- said: "I have tried to cultivate musical talent in him by buying him a drum set." The boy's age was not given but the picture showed what looked like a pre-schooler.

On the other hand, my current Scripture readings have the theme of "messiness" in the various aspects of our lives. This is what the writer for one of the readings touched on:

My favourite book when I was pregnant was How Not to be a Perfect Mother by Libby Purves. Instead of setting out unrealisable ideals, it gave me a picture of real, fallible women doing their best to cope with real children.

My own firstborn did not keep to the rules of child development and, until he was given the diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder), made us feel that we were useless parents. A friend with a child who also has Asperger's tearfully described the hostile reaction that she and her child received at their church when he behaved "inappropriately" (and she is the minister's wife!).