I wrote a sociology paper based upon my theory that high school kids with a curfew end up staying out later than kids with no curfew. My reasoning was that kids who were allowed to stay out until 11 always stayed out to 11.
If you didn't have a curfew and it was 9:30, then you headed home and watched tv. Sometimes you'd stay out until 1 or 2, but for the most part you just stayed out as long as there was something going on. If you had an 11 o'clock curfew, you'd sit in some parking lot until 10:55 just talking.
On average the curfew people would stay out longer. I made up all my research, proved my theory wrong (figured it'd look more genuine) and got the rare A.
I have a similar theory about vacations. When I set my own schedule, it was easy to work 70+ hours a week and rarely take a vacation (2 real vacations in 10 years). Now that I fill out vacation forms and track my sick time...I find myself being much more proactive about my time off. I don't want to lose time that I've built up. It's mind. It's in rare supply. It's precious.
When I started this job I came in during the last quarter of the year. Normally you can't carry over vacation days, but because it was the last quarter they said I could. What they didn't tell me was that I had 90 days to use those vacation days. (it's on page 362 of your staff handbook)
So no forms or procedures - no vacation. Forms and procedures....you'd better bet that I'm taking a vacation.
I'm headed to beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio (I hear it's nice this time of year)
We have a free place to stay in Hilton Head...but figured two kids in diapers and one hyper kid who can't sit still wouldn't be the best vacation on the beach plan.
So we're looking for fun things to do here in the Queen City.
Any ideas? (vacation starts at the end of the leadership summit in 2 weeks)
And why is Cincinnati called the Queen City?
ReplyDeleteHow about the aquarium and the childrens museum?
ReplyDeletezoo?
ReplyDeletekings island?
Too bad you're not going to Hilton Head, Murph. We're going to be there all next week - we could've gotten together. Oh I guess we would have missed you - your vacation is in two weeks.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the Queen City - I know we would! Zoo, aquarium, museums, parks, river front, King's Island.
the contemporary art center has a cool hands-on interactive display area that your hyper kid would likely love (maybe not for hours and hours, but if you went to something else in or near downtown you could check that out, too). and it's pretty cheap, too.
ReplyDeleteThe Riddle House?
ReplyDeletehow about hanging out with me?
ReplyDeleteyou can maybe even help me move ;)
saranac?????
ReplyDeleteThere's actually a kind of museum outside of the Steelers stadium. 5 Super Bowl Trophies, too many Hall of Famers to count...maybe that'd be good.
ReplyDeleteSaranac? That was a different date...or it conflicted somehow...can't remember now. When you going?
august 19th-22nd. seriously...it is gonna be laid back, cool (as in the temperature), family friendly, and fun!!!!
ReplyDeleteHenry Wadsworth Longfellow. [insert phallic joke here] coined the term "Queen City of the West" back when Cincinnati was the 3rd largest city in the country and "the center of American culture and liberalism". It was a long time ago. Phew. Now I can say that I used my history degree today.
ReplyDeleteAnyway. How about Coney Island? It's cheaper than Kings Island and they'll almost guarantee you won't lose all of your teeth on their county park quality amusement rides. Actually the rides are geared for kids so it's perfect and there aren't lines and you can take a swim in the Ohio River while others look on in horror as you are swallowed whole by a three headed catfish the size of a volkswagen .... hmm or is that actually an old rusty volkswagen the size of an Ohio River 3 headed catfish?
For a little extra I think Sunlight Pool comes with the Coney Island package and it's right there. Ooh or there is the free pool down by Sawyer point that has fountains and waterfalls. It's pretty cool. Then you could walk across the purple people bridge to Gameworks at Newport on the Levee.
I'm just throwing out kids crap for you. I don't know why I don't just call you instead.
Carl,
ReplyDeleteI'm back at work on the 21st.
Bogart,
now you can say you used your history degree this year. You ought to work for the Cincinnati tourist association...or here...or for the good of mankind and flavorful soda pop.
Theres an awesome interactive park at glendale gardens that would be perfect for all your kids. The Unmuseum at the Contemporary art museum is way cool, and the art museum is free always. Hueston Woods is pretty cool if you don't mind swimming in a lake or you can swim at the lodge for 6 dollars each....lots of cool hiking trails.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to test your theory! All we'll need is a group of age/sex/background-matched kids, curfewed and non-curfewed, we'll pop transmitters into their skulls, and voila! Science triumphs, and parents have a great way to track the kids from space! Everybody wins, ha ha.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I don't think curfews are really about "late night time spent out of house", since it's not the total amount of time past 6:30 that probably worries parents. . .curfews are really about rules, boundaries, and consequences, and sorta about knowing that really naughty stuff occurs late-nite, and the later often correlates with the naugtier.
I know what I was doing at 4 am. . .good times, man, good times. . .
The Fire Truck Museum downtown is pretty cool.. also Hamilton County has 3 waterparks that only cost a buck per kid over 2 years of age.. Blue Manatee Bookstore in Oakley has really good storytimes too.
ReplyDelete