The world watched today as a small weather balloon floated high above Colorado with fears six year old Falcon Heene was trapped inside, or worse, that he boarded and took off, but wasn’t inside anymore. A lot will be said about today’s story. Thankfully, Falcon wasn’t injured. He was located and was safe. Now people will ask “where were the parents, how could this happen, what kind of weirdo builds weather balloons?”
I’m eager to join this conversation!
Falcon’s Dad, Richard Keene, is a weather enthusiast. Who better to blog about on a Blog Action Day dedicated to Climate Change than a scientist/inventor/storm-chaser who includes his family as he conducts his experiments? Do six year olds always make good decisions? Of course not. Actually, go ahead and tell me at what age we start to always make good decisions. Seriously, what age?
Free thinking minds who’ve been taught to explore and investigate may not always understand the consequences. That’s how we learn. As parents we try to not let anyone get hurt on the journey to knowledge. However, let’s face it, the world is a dangerous place. I have a lot of equipment attached to my home which could easily electrocute an inquisitive child bent on fiddling with it. Am I am a bad parent because it’s not somehow out-of-reach? I love to cook and often cook with my children, encouraging them to try new foods and experiment with me. The stove controls can be reached by a child using any stool readily available in my home. Am I a bad parent?
In the United States science and math skills are declining. Richard Keene is a Dad who’s doing something about it. He has a passion and teaches by live action. My favorite anecdote buried in today’s story was how the family sometimes sleeps fully clothed ready to wake and go at a moment’s notice if they’re tracking a storm and need to be ready to chase it. Kudos to him for keeping his children interested in science and looking forward to what it holds, even through bedtime!
I was terrified at what I saw on CNN today because I watched, as a Dad, in horror knowing no one could help Falcon. But once it was known he was safe and I saw comments starting to judge the parents, I had to speak out. Falcon’s OK. Richard’s a weather enthusiast. Father and son both learned something about science safety today, and they taught us all to be more aware, didn’t they? I hope it all somehow inspires others to take action to be involved with your kids, promote math and science, and most of all, go hug your kids. Accidents will happen no matter what we do, but how we respond defines us.
So what does this have to do, really, with climate change? That’s simple. Like I said: take action to be involved with your kids, promote math and science, and most of all, go hug your kids. It’s their world to inherit. Think about your impact to the world around you and think if this is what you want THEIR kids to inherit.
