Ecomodder parenting
 

So, what are your stories, parents who also ecomod?

My daughter has an early interest in engineering--though she wavers sometimes. She want to make money (little mercenary!). Anyway, at 15 and a sophomore in HS she is developing a command of math and chemistry that is enviable from the perspective of a guy like me who never did find the right teachers in those areas of study. I always wanted to know the relevance and always got lame answers. My daughter wants to do the puzzles and master them and "win" (very competitive kid!).

She got a perfect score on a chem test yesterday and it precipitated a conversation between us like fe we have had. She denigrated her own knowledge, saying how she had managed to muddle through. Or that she was just lucky. I asked her to explain an example problem. Her mastery of variables in calculating molar mass and how much energy it would take to bring a specific amount of a given liquid to boiling point were impressive. She had data and processes memorized and readily showed me on a scrap of paper.

I had two realizations to share with her. First, the the formula was essentially algebra applied in a specific context.

Second, I showed her the below animation of a combustion chamber like the one she just saw me dismantle last week in our driveway. We watched 4:12-4:42 repeatedly (on 25% slowmo). I explained the process depicted, relating it to the calculations she is learning as best I could. We discussed how one might calculate the heat energy, the "atmospheres" involved, the boiling point of the coolant, and the proper size and function of elements in the system. We didn't have any specific answers, of course, (too little data and experience) but we got to talk about how math and chem are integrated parts of engineering, so it felt pretty awesome.

Most of what I was sharing I had learned through ecomodding. Anyway, it was just such a cool conversation.

Plus, she recently broke off a dating thing with a boy in her chem class and got her focus back. She had been talking about how brilliant HE was and trying to be pretty enough. That over-emphasis on the boys is a common path away from math/science success for girls. Now she broke it off and is just focused on developing her skills.

Effin' awesome.

Have you had experiences like that with young people (not necessarily one's own child)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXQ27pU3_7E

You might point out that there are a LOT of guys in college STEM classes, some of whom would appreciate a woman who shares their interests, so she's likely to be spoiled for choice as far as dating goes. Whereas in the liberal arts &c, women tend to equal if not outnumber guys...

My son rode in this when he was growing up:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...4-11-26-01.png

Now he drives a black SRT-8. Where did I go wrong?

It sounds like you have yourself a Girl Genius.

Both of my sons drive modded G1 Insights and are members here, so I guess some of the modding bug has been passed on to them:thumbup:

Two for two. That's a win.

To be fair to my son, I wasn't driving for mileage so much as ticketably-efficient use of the highway system. That probably explains it.

He did get a 2-year-old 2012 that was off-lease from a Microsoftie that never put miles on it. So the buy at the bottom of the curve strategy sunk in.

How about the other way - teaching your parents to hypermile? My mom is now getting 27-28 MPG out of the '04 Toyota Sienna (rated 20) and my dad gets close to 40 out of his dealer car ('17 stock Mazda 3 hatchback).

Lucky parents!

That is one dream MO-CHINE! My daughter wants a Beemer (which makes me wanna disown her, JK). But at least she has decided she wants me to teach her to drive a manual and do all basic service stuff.

Thanks. I miss every VW I couldn't hold onto. Those wheels were on my first one, a black 1958 convertible. :thumbup: I traded them just this year for the diesel Dasher.

I think a kid should start with a floorpan and transaxle, and as they finish it think about the motation and body style they want.

A salvagable fiberglass dune buggy rebuilt for the street might be a good start. Not a lot of doors and weather seals and upholstery to deal with.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...rsmanxv-15.jpg

Old vs new.

I have two girls, 5 and 7, who are somewhat interested in the fact that I shift. Mostly, though, they hate that I don't have a video player in my car.

My eldest loves to help when I work on the car. She handed me tools as I replaced my O2 sensor :)

Wonderful story! Congratulate her from all of us!!

The extent of my efforts to edumacate my extended family's younguns is offering to explain mechanics to them if they express any hint of interest. So far I've only had one nephew really take the ball and run with it.

(Maybe not coincidentally, he's also the only one of the bunch who actively wanted to learn to drive stick. He also took me up on some eco-driving coaching and did pretty well, though I don't know how much he adopted into his habits.)

Ironically, his sisters are probably doing better than he did in math and science, but so far haven't wanted to learn mechanical/car things, despite a couple of offers. (Their dad, my brother, is a civil engineer... who calls me when the family cars are acting up. :D )

:thumbup:

My sense is that interests are mostly genetically programmed. My parents had no interest in efficiency, technology, or engineering, but I do. My dad is naturally very mechanically inclined, but has no training. Mom; I still don't know what her skill is besides listening.

Let me know all the tips, especially in keeping a girl from losing interest in things other than boys. Mine is 40 hrs old, so I've got some time to figure it out.

OMG, it's starting to sink in. Are you going to make a tickler file that will remind you at each stage along the way? Because it changes all the time.

Where to even start? I would suggest that you learn from her for 2-3 three years and then she learns from you. Your able to influence her until public school starts, then that's over. But your still on the hook until majority.

(Timothy Leary's eight-circuit brain)

At some point you'll need to read to her a lot. I used Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstader.

Each chapter is college-level stuff but is preceded by a fable that foreshadows the content. I still remember his delight when we got to the middle of the Crab Canon.

I just got the Girl Genius reference! Lol. Yes, she is highly focused, until suddenly... distracted. Kid is good at math and chem, loves to dance, has the boys after her, and is skilled in rapid insult trading. I have raised a major multi-dimensional threat. I hope she never turns these powers on dear old Dad.

We had practices but I have few tips. A parent raising a child in like a musician trying to improvise melody over an ever-changing chord progression--with sudden key changes, sometimes as often as you adapt and as immediately. So, I learn from her about who she is becoming, and we talk with her about possible outcomes for choices and about not becoming anyone's tool--boys, schools, employers, or marketers. She is a free girl and nothing valuable is categorically forbidden (unless it is too expensive!). We like to emphasize her ability to do things for herself. We like to demystify things: if she is ready to ask about something, she is ready for a factual answer in language she can understand at whatever age she is.

I don't know. For every great conversation there are tons of blank stares, and a few awful moments. And she always wants more stuff and she always wants a ride...

Ah, parenting!

But I get attached to puppies - my current "Can you just keep him for a week or two so he won't have to go to the (sniffle) pound?" pup is going on 8 now :-)

Raising kids is hard. If they ask me a question, I try to ask them questions I might ask myself to lead to the answer. Only a few times have I handed them answers on a platter, although with children sometimes you have to be bluntly obvious :)

My eldest has always tested above average, although I don't place much faith in standardized testing. She was borderline gifted program. The younger one is scrappy and has always reached milestones earlier due to her sister helping her along.

My wife and I are oceans apart on politics and we are in open war over where to live, LOL. But we agree on how to raise children, and we both want to expose them to as much as we can, not hand them answers, and let them be who they are, not who we want them to be.

I like your questions, not answers approach a lot. We do that often too, to get her thinking, or because we don't know any answers that we'd call TRUTH. But sometimes answers even for "difficult" or "awkward" topics are simpler, like sex questions re: anatomy and stuff like that. If ahe is ready to ask what's what, she needs a flat out, simple answer (I think).

To [TLDR:] The eight-circuit brain theory of Timothy Leary has four terrestrial circuits. They can be cartooned as infant, family, tribe and nation-state. Literal synaptic circuits.

It's the hardest thing for an adult to 'throttle back' and communicate on a level that excludes politics (& sex). But if you do, then "Group-ups always say the weirdest sh-tuff" goes away and comms can happen.

One for the tickler file: kids can beat grow-ups at pattern-matching games up until the age of maybe four. So if you want to build confidence and competitivness, try pattern matching games.