It's all been done before... usually better

It's been a cold and stormy week here in Chapel Hill, making it difficult to get out for much training. A good week, then, for reading and watching some old movies.

As a child, I loved a good adventure story. I had a particular soft spot for the classic swashbuckler movies. Captain Blood, Robin Hood (all versions), The Thief of Baghdad, The Three Musketeers... they all left me enchanted. I was particularly inspired by the athleticism of the stars - there were no wires or fancy special effects back in those days and the stars, like the great Douglas Fairbanks, did their own stunts.

With Parkour videos spreading like wildfire across the internet and people lauding it as a wonderful new discipline, I think it's important to recognize that Parkour is a new name for a very very old practice - and we all can learn a thing or two from those who came before us.  Check out this clip of Douglas Fairbanks taking us all to school in "The Mark of Zorro"

Or this - still one of the most badass fight scenes ever filmed:

One more...  this is still one of the greatest stunts ever performed (I've cued it to the relevant bit - you don't need to watch the whole video)

A one-handed handspring balanced on the hilt of a dagger?? That's amazing. If you have some free time, check out some of the classic adventure films of the 20s and 30s.  You may also want to check out Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplain - those guys could move.

If I were Douglas Fairbanks, I'd be excited about being Douglas Fairbanks too.

My favorite knight

When you have some time this evening, I strongly recommend brewing some tea/pouring a glass of wine, settling down under a blanket, and listening to this talk by Sir Ken Robinson. (aka my man-crush) It's a bit lengthy but fascinating:

Great stuff. You can buy the book here.

Oh dear...

Folks, I'm afraid I have bad news. I have Sensory Processing Disorder.

" 'Sensory Pro'... what?" you might be asking. Yes, SPD. But don't worry. With a few years of (expensive) OT, I should be able to make good progress and be able to once again sit quietly for hours on end in front of a spreadsheet.

How did I come to this diagnosis?  Well, The SPD Blogger Network has an extremely helpful list of "Red Flags."  Symptoms like "Climbs everything," "Loves running barefoot," and my personal favorite, "Jumping."

Take a moment and read the full list, here.

You know what else those things are symptoms of?  BEING A F&*@ING KID.

***

Look, I'm not saying that SPD isn't real or isn't a problem for some families. I'm definitely not qualified to say that. In fact, I appreciate the fact that the SPD Foundation takes an active stance against the misdiagnosis of ADHD and the related over prescription of ADHD drugs.

But C'MON SON - that list of "red flags" is rediculous. I've exhibited every single one of those behaviors at some point in my life - many of them I STILL exhibit. And I'm pretty sure there's nothing wrong with me.

If your kids wants to charge around outside without shoes on and climb everything in sight, they aren't diseased... they're normal. Maybe you should let them do it.  Maybe that meaningful connection with the outdoors will instil a lifelong interest in being active and being engaged with the natural world.

Granted, I'm not a parent. I don't know much about raising kids. But I do know that normal healthy kids sometimes yell. And sometimes they whisper. Sometimes they stuff themselves. And sometimes they don't want food. Sometimes they just don't want to brush their teeth.  Rather than rush them off to the doctor for a diagnosis, prescription, and/or treatment cycle, maybe we should let them learn how to self regulate. I think that might be important later in life.

I wonder what's behind this whole "What's wrong with my kid?" culture. Is it the incredibly destructive soup of stress that is our modern lives mixed with basic parent instinct? Are we maybe overthinking this whole parenting thing? I'd like to play with that idea a little by introducing Draft #1 of:

Colin's Guide to Raising Normal Kids:

1) Cook & feed them real food - don't shy away from fat, but limit sugar** and severely restrict processed food.

2) Provide plenty of unstructured play time outdoors.

3) Read to them before bed.

4) Answer all questions they ask you & encourage them to ask more.

5) Buy them a microscope & teach them how to make their own slides.

**Don't be a sugar-nazi. Take them out for ice cream once in awhile.

My thanks to Ellen for forwarding me the web link. What do you think about all of this?

There is clearly something wrong with this kid.

Update on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 6:06AM by Colin Pistell

Well, it seems I'm a bit guilty of "Ready, Fire, Aim."

After a conversation with a much more knowledgeable friend and a tiny bit of research I've learned that SPD has more to do with the autism spectrum than ADHD. It's therefore pretty hard to pin it down to a tightly focused list of symptoms. I do think the majority of parents and doctors can effectively discern between a rambunctious kid who enjoys running around outside and one who misses a large number of important developmental milestones and won't wash his hands because it feels like it's burning him.

I think my original point stands - that it's pretty alarmist to throw normal play behavior into a list of developmental disorder symptoms - but we do need to be careful that we don't fall into the trap of knee-jerk rejection of all mental health issues. Clinical depression can't be fixed by "just cheering up" and, sadly, autism isn't going to be cured by more veggies and a bedtime story. (maybe the microscope?)

I think there's a happy medium between creating acronyms for every variation of behavior and rejecting mental health as quackery. I think most people are reasonable enough to find it.