Etan Thomas is an NBA player and regular contributor to the Huffington Post. The father of three recently asked his parental audience 21 questions that relate to current events and personal experiences that he has encountered as a dad. Here are a few of his inquiries:
“1. Debbie Piscitella is a mother who was arrested for choking the little boy who was bullying her daughter. Although I can’t condone the choking of a little boy, as parents, can we really blame her for her actions?
3. I asked Imani why she never takes naps at school and she said because they give us all of this sugar that makes all the kids hyper, then tells us all to lie down and go to sleep. Why wouldn’t they give them snacks AFTER they wake up?
7. Why do kids like to get four inches away from your face while you are sleeping and scare the living daylights out of you?
8. My daughter Sierra is almost two — she talks a little, but not really. I can understand her perfectly when she is trying to say something, but other people have no idea what she is saying. Isn’t it interesting how kids speak a totally different language that only their parents and siblings can understand ?
13. Out of the blue one day, Malcolm asked me how old I was when my parents got divorced. I told him around his age. Then I asked him what does he know about divorce and where did he hear that word. Malcolm proceeded to break down to us that most of his classmate’s parents are divorced. That divorce is when a mommy and a daddy don’t love each other anymore and the daddy has “visits” with the kids some weekends and sometimes the mommy and daddy can be friends, but other times a judge has to force them to play nice. Me and my wife stood there in amazement. Isn’t it astonishing how much more kids know than we think they know?
21. Every time I come home my kids run to the door jump up in my arms and yell, “DADDY!” It’s great. When does that excitement stop? Wish I could keep that party going forever, but I know it’s coming to an end eventually. Is it when they turn 10 or 11 or 12?”
Do you, as a mom or dad, have any parenting questions? What are they?
