Weekend Diversion: Ten things a Dad told his children

Phrases that only came out of one man’s mouth because of his kids.

Ethan Siegel
Starts With A Bang!

--

“Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.” -Aldous Huxley

As someone with no children of my own, there are a great many experiences both good and bad that I’ve chosen to forgo in lieu of others. Have a listen to the band Midlake’s song about children:

https://play.spotify.com/track/77it4hqythJRSbecC6KizA

…while I share with you one of the lighter looks at the parental experience. Although teaching students from ages seven-through-adulthood has given me ample exposure to the unexpected things that children of all ages say and do, I was always unprepared for the things that not only came out of my mouth in response to their actions, but of the things that needed to come out of my mouth.

Image credit: flickr user nripperger, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/nripperger/sets/72157623153953686/.

Well, Nathan Ripperger has taken that to the next level, and has made a series of 10 posters about, as he describes it,

This is a collection of posters featuring phrases that have left my mouth only because of my children.

Image credit: flickr user nripperger, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/nripperger/sets/72157623153953686/.

Half of the fun of seeing posters like this is just trying to fathom the context where this conversation could have reasonably occurred.

Because I’m sure that this has to be off the scales on the parent’s exasperation-meter.

Image credit: flickr user nripperger, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/nripperger/sets/72157623153953686/.

This project was started in 2009 and had a number of additional pieces added over the years, including one of my favorites most recently.

Image credit: flickr user nripperger, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/nripperger/sets/72157623153953686/.

Nathan has decided to open an Etsy shop where you can purchase these, where he says,

If you like what you see here, hop over to my Flickr page and check it out. If your see something you like, send me a message and I’ll make it available for purchase.

Which is great, because some of what’s on his Flickr page is beyond classic.

Image credit: flickr user nripperger, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/nripperger/sets/72157623153953686/.
Image credit: flickr user nripperger, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/nripperger/sets/72157623153953686/.
Image credit: flickr user nripperger, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/nripperger/sets/72157623153953686/.

He has a good deal on any three of these, for those interested.

Thanks to TwistedSifter for bringing this onto my radar, and I hope this brings you some joy (and amusement) this weekend!

Want to participate in the discussion, or can’t listen to songs on Spotify? Head over to the Starts With A Bang forum on Scienceblogs and enjoy!

--

--

Ethan Siegel
Starts With A Bang!

The Universe is: Expanding, cooling, and dark. It starts with a bang! #Cosmology Science writer, astrophysicist, science communicator & NASA columnist.