When kids vote their own time, parent should listen.

They’re all different, and we love it. “Click-a-los” Balog, who loves really anything that plugs into a wall, as well as writing and producing video, has unbeknownst to me begun doing product reviews for no reason except, “I like doing it.”

And as parents, that’s more than OK by us. Enjoy.

Where does it come from? Where will it go?

One day it’s just Legos.   The next day it’s Minecraft.   Then one day they say, “look what I built!”

And you watch those fidgety hands in the video. The ones about which teachers in France say, “he can’t sit still”. The ones which can drive parents crazy at the dinner table, like say in Sydney, when that fidgeting nearly killed a guy (a story for another days post).

I once said in passing, “i’ll spend as much money as you like on two things…books and technology”. And then comes the request. “I know I’m 12, but I want to build my own machine. I’ve done the research and figured out the configuration, and… and… can I…?

Off they go. Like getting on the school bus for the first day each September. A mixture of pride and sadness, as each step forward is a step further away. Or is it?

Perhaps a step closer. With Mom, straight from the techno-brain of her dad, a nerd at heart. The perfect combination of brains and beauty, there to support, maintain calm and to encourage.

After much dutiful research, patience, and perseverance. Weeks to study, days to build.

 

 

et VOILA! 

 

 

“It’s ALIVE!”

This machine has now been constructed and deconstructed so many times I worry about slot leakage and loose contacts. But in the end, the blurt, “I would do this 24/7 if I could”, made the experience priceless.

And then you realize that that lovable geek, that proper nerd, is our geek. Our nerd.  And you think about the Dr. Seuss book you read to the kids as babies…(thank you, Butch)

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Oh, The Places You’ll Go — Dr. Suess

And you realize, he’s not ours at all, he’s simply on loan. He’s really all his own.

And that makes all the difference.

Much respect to Nicholas “Clickolas” Balog. 2017.