Jun
05
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A vintage napkin drawn for my daughters in 2000.
The second half of the quote is ‘because it demands so much attention’. Want to be less lonely? Go do something that REALLY requires your attention, your FULL attention and effort. Throw in other people for good measure.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Christopher Morley, 1890-1957, American author. This quote is sometimes misattributed to Robert Morley the actor.
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Today is geography Saturday! People from the following cities visited The Napkin Dad Daily in the last 30 days.
Match the city with the country. Not for me, not for a prize. Just for fun and knowledge.
Cities
Kozhikode
Nanaimo
Watervliet
Jyvaskyla
Nancy
Bandung
Brescia
Debrecen
Countries
India
Finland
Hungary
Indonesia
Italy
France
Canada
United States
May
06
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Day 2 of The Napkin Dad’s Guide to Good Manners
I am not one to talk about the ‘old days’ as if they were better. I am not one to talk about how we did more with less or how good it used to be for kids and how hard it is now for them. For the most part I think that is just old people wishing for better days.
The truth is it’s always been hard for kids. There is always something unique about the culture and society they live in that bring out certain problems they face that earlier generations didn’t have to in the same way.
Today one of the things kids face in the US and many other countries is a very diverse culture. I think that is a good thing. But one of the negatives attached to it is having muddy guidelines about what is proper or improper behavior. It isn’t a uniform definition anymore. Even that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that it makes the job of the parent harder. Not only does the child not see the example being set consistently among other adults when he or she is away from their immediate family, but the parent’s themselves might have been brought up very differently from one another and have different ideas about what is okay or not okay in personal behavior.
That doesn’t mean a parent gives up on teaching. It means they add a new element of discussion and illustration. When you as a parent see what you deem bad manners you explain to your child why you consider it bad. You explain why it is hurtful or inconsiderate. You give them reasons that help them understand that while others may not do it they way the do, they know it is a good and decent way to behave. And whatever you do, do not off load the responsibility to a school, a village, a society or worst of all, the child. It is NOT the responsibility of the child to learn it on his or her own. It is your responsibility as the parent.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Fred Astaire, 1899-1987, American entertainer
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Help me deliver great products to you. Answer my questionnaire on my Merchandise page about what you would actually buy if it were for sale.
May
05
Day one in a series on manners
I found this quote on twitter and it hit me as a fantastically concise and perceptive statement about the truth of rudeness.
When I think about examples of rudeness it seems there are two main reasons for it. One, the person really doesn’t know they are being rude. We are not talking about that.
Two, the person does know and feels empowered by it. They like the expansion of their field of control. They stretch out their fork to get food off another person’s plate. They stretch out their voice into a phone and a waiting room or theatre. They stretch out their disrespect by never acknowledging people who serve and care for them.
The list can go on. But what they all have in common is the rude person attempting to be superior. subjugating others to their physical, emotional or psychological space. People who are confident and strong don’t have that need, they know who they are and can treat others with respect and good manners. The weak person is the one constantly trying to get others to see the strength they know they are lacking, usually in a passive aggressive way.
You can’t avoid rudeness in life. But you can contribute to it’s diminishing by not enabling it. Don’t be a weanie when it rears it’s ugly head. Say something. That is unless of course you live in Oklahoma where they just passed a law allowing people to wear guns in a holster on their hip like back in the wild west. In that case, be careful!
Seriously though and more importantly, if you are a parent raise your kids to not be rude by teaching and giving them experiences that bring out their true strength and confidence.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Eric Hoffer, 1902-1983, American writer and social philosopher.
Posted on twitter by Lisa Merlo-Booth of ‘Straight Talk on Relationships’ blog
Jan
15
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I know this will get some cosmologists (and maybe cosmetologists if they happen to like stars a lot) upset. I don’t mean to diss the discovery of new things in outer space. I love hearing about them and I love the art of discovery in that realm.
But stars and galaxies don’t touch the senses the way a dish does. The smell, heat, taste, look, even the sound (in the cooking especially), all those things are at the heart of making one smile in that blissful sort of way that illustrates happiness so well.
My wife and daughter love to go out to dinner. When we do we often will order a very common appetizer that we see in restaurant after restaurant, spinach and artichoke dip. We do it because we love discovering the new recipe, to see and taste how it compares to our memories of past dips. It’s a shared sensual treat, a treat of the senses that makes us happy.
What dishes make you smile that smile?
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826, French lawyer, politician and gastronome. He was the father, along with Grimod, of the gastronomic essay.
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NEW! Trivia question of the day:
Which constellation has the North Star in it?
- Ursa Minor
- Orion
- Reticulum
- Corona Borealis
- Oprah
Oct
19
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A vintage napkin from 2000, back when all of my daughter’s were still in middle and high school. I made 3 versions of this napkin and put it in their lunches. I don’t think I gave them spaghetti for lunch.
Drawing by Marty Coleman of
The Napkin Dad Daily blog
Quote by Christopher Morley, 1890- 1957, American writer
