MICROWAVE OVEN
The use of the microwave is very common, do you know what was the first food that was put into one of these devices?
A. The first food cooked with Spencer’s microwave oven was popcorn, and the second was an egg, which exploded in front of one of the experimenters.
THE LITTLE ONES
Don Alfredo, we are a typical family with a little son of 2 and a half years, this being the first child in many years. I am an only child and so is my wife. We have a problem with our respective mothers (and fathers) who overindulge the little one and, from our point of view, are spoiling him by being overprotective of him. Some time ago in your column you wrote about helicopter parents who do not allow their children to develop with some autonomy. Can you tell us how much we can expect a child, our age, to be able or unable to do, what is reasonable and what is not? It would help us a lot by giving us some examples.
R. As a father that I am, in his time I went to several experts who helped me a lot with this problem, which I and my right here also experienced.
I share what this professional still recommends:
“In my experience, I have learned that young children are capable of much more than we give them credit for or allow them to do. And it is understandable. When it comes to performing ‘tasks’, they are often messy and the opposite of fast. But during Years 2 and 3, most toddlers and preschoolers (with help) can begin to:
Dressing and undressing (shirts are still tricky at this age; socks and pants will be more successful; this includes letting them choose their outfits).
‘Making’ his bed (pulling out his blankets).
Put dirty clothes in the basket.
Cleaning up what they spill.
Helping to set the table.
Proper hand washing.
Watering plants.
Pick up and put away toys.
Classification and combination of socks
Zippers and buttons (note: won’t master these for a while).
Learning to swim.
Crack eggs and scramble them (with adult supervision).
Speaking politely (saying please, thank you, excuse me) and waiting your turn to speak rather than interrupting. (This is a practice, remember, it won’t work every time! You are getting them used to the idea of letting others have a turn to speak).”
I wish him luck, a lot of support for his wife and patience, but a firm hand with the grandparents.
THE MAYAN CALENDAR
There is a lot of talk and we take pride in the Mayan calendar, but as with everything, this calendar, they say, was not invented by the Mayans. Truth or myth?
A. While historians refer to this ancient Mesoamerican calendar as “May,” parts of the calendar likely originated with the Olmecs, an ancient civilization in southern Mexico that thrived as early as 1600 B.C. C. until 350 a. C. (or maybe even some older society, pre-Olmec). Before the infamous Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in the New World in 1519, all Mesoamerican societies used some form of this ancient calendar, including the Aztecs, the Zapotecs, and of course the Mayans, who greatly improved on this original calendar. . Although different societies had different names for aspects of the calendar, the Mayan vocabulary is most commonly used.
