All eyes on you....

When I was growing up I lived in two neighborhoods that were very inter connected. In other words, everyone knew everyone else. It was in the last days of the 'village' raising the child where you dare not act up because there were eyes on you from everywhere. I felt that my mother and, subsequently, my grandmother, knew EVERYONE! Furthermore,I KNEW that they were in cahoots with my teachers because they CAME to my school and let the teachers know that if I ever misbehaved or got into trouble, that they could ...check that....SHOULD call her and let her know. There was no place to hide so I played it straight. I never knew whether I would run into one of my mother or grandmother's friends if I cut school, or snuck a cigarette, or hid to drink a beer. So I never did. I was a 'good' kid and I think that I am better for it.

Fast forward to today and I now have a kid of my own. A couple of days ago one of my Facebook friends posted on my wall that she had seen my daughter on the subway platform with my wife. She said that she wished that she had service so that she could send me a FB alert that my daughter was in good hands! I thought it was hilarious but it made me think. My friends see my daughter out and about with me or her mother or grandmother all the time. They know what she looks like and the people who she SHOULD be with look like as well. I suddenly felt very secure.

Conventional wisdom has warned us to not over expose ourselves on Facebook because of lurkers but doesn't it have the opposite effect as well? Clearly, I'm not about post my child's schedule on the site but because of the pictures I HAVE posted, people know when they see her, who she should be with. I feel secure that if they happen to see her with the wrong person, I would know about quickly from a post. And there are a LOT of eyes out there! I have over 3000 friends on FB!

Truthfully, I see this as an interesting circumstance for Clarke later on when she becomes a teenager! Could you image having a mother AND father who know THOUSANDS of people and who share pictures of you all the time. It would be a different thing if my wife and I were actual celebrities. Then she could understand the myriad of eyes on her but she won't even benefit from the trappings of fame! Just a bunch of people constantly watching her every move, good and especially bad. I apologize now, baby girl. Your adolescence is going to be ROUGH!!

These are my thoughts...what are yours?

Wednesday Wonderings: What's going on under Hayden's hat? #3

It's Wednesday and the middle of the week makes me think about the interesting questions in my world. Here is the question bouncing around under this week's hat. Feel free to comment on the question (or the hat, the hat for that matter). I may even give away something for the comment that makes me laugh (or think) the most. Have fun with it!

 I got this versatile lid at a vendor fair at Barnard College. It's actually too big for me and I had to adjust it in order to wear it. 
 

When will people realize that the clothes that celebrities wear when they are in music videos and at award shows are costumes? You should NOT wear the knock-off that you picked up at Century 21 last week to your job at Target. Stop it. Now. 

These are my thoughts...what are yours? 

Wednesday Wonderings: What's going on under Hayden's hat? #2

It's Wednesday and the middle of the week makes me think about the interesting questions in my world. Here is the question bouncing around under this week's hat. Feel free to comment on the question (or the hat, the hat for that matter). I may even give away something for the comment that makes me laugh (or think) the most. Have fun with it!

This is my favorite summer hat. I actually got it at the old Virgin Mega store in Times Square. Remember that place? 

 

When are we going to protest the price of going to the movies in NYC? How are people supposed to take part in the very American tradition of 'dinner and a movie' if the theater experience cost more than the damn meal? And where are high schools supposed to go on a date? When the 3 hour rate on a motel becomes cheaper than seeing the newest summer blockbuster, we're going to see the biggest population boom since the Great Depression!!

Greene Light Photography: Discarded Beauty.

Greene Light Photography: Discarded Beauty.: "One of the goals of photographers is to capture an amazing image that will stand the test of time. We hope to create a picture that will sta..."

Greene Light Photography: That looks reeeeaaaaallllyyy familiar

Greene Light Photography: That looks reeeeaaaaallllyyy familiar: "Every professional photographer has their own niche. Some do portraiture, some do events, others do weddings, and the list goes on. For thos..."

Wednesday Wonderings: What's going on under Hayden's hat? #1

It's Wednesday and the middle of the week makes me think about the interesting questions in my world. Here is the question bouncing around under this week's hat. Feel free to comment on the question (or the hat, the hat for that matter). I may even give away something for the comment that makes me laugh (or think) the most. Have fun with it! 

(You know I had to start with THIS one! Bought it online)

 

Why is Staten Island still a borough? Isn't there another designation that we can give it...like locale or vicinity? I'm just saying.  Maybe we could trade it to New Jersey in return for Liberty Island. It seems wrong that the Statue of Liberty has a NJ address...

These are my thoughts...what are yours?

Hold on!!! Wait for me!

"Oh no daddy I got it."

That came from my daughter's mouth and sent chills down my spine. It had reared its ugly head earlier than I had expected! What am I referring to, you may ask?
Independence, that's what!
For the first two years of her life my daughter needed one of us for virtually everything: eating, mobility, clothing, bathing, everything. Slowly but surely, as humans do, she became more and more proficient at walking, then running; at eating, then feeding herself; at helping us dress her, then picking out her favorite tutu! She is growing and we're having a hard time keeping up with her...at least I am. At least once a week, my wife and I look at each other and wonder where is the little kid that we brought home from NYU or the child who we thought would never get the hang of eating solids. She is truly coming into her own and I'm very proud of her...and sad.

I have always wanted a little girl for a number of reason, one of which being because I wanted a child I could teach and share things with. Boys discard their parents for more 'fun' things far faster than girls do. Girls tend to want to hang out with mom and dad more then their male counterparts. I knew that if I had a girl, I'd have a learning buddy well into her teens...right up until she starts to think daddy is lame and starts to get embarrassed by me. But that's not for a while right, I thought? My baby girl is going to look to me for a long time as her source of knowledge, assistance, and fun.

Nope, I seem to have underestimated that time line and baby Greene is already figuring things out on her own. Now, she still loves her daddy and we will always have our drumming/dancing sessions when I get home, but she's definitely cleaving her own independence. I hope she doesn't go too far though... I have a bunch of museum dates planned for us....

These are my thoughts ...what are yours?