Hello Pleskians! As we’re all hunkered down doing remote work in the last months, we’ve celebrated all manner of things while staying indoors. On June 1, we commemorate the International Day for the Protection of Children. At Plesk, we honored the day by donating to our favorite charity. They have some incredible initiatives for children so do take a look and show them some support.
Meanwhile, we ventured out (virtually, of course) to find out how some of our favorite Pleskians celebrate being with their children.
Geo-caching with the Kids Has its Own Rewards
Our Chief Technical Officer, Jan Loeffler, recounts some of his favorite activities to do with his family.
“My kids and I love climbing on rocks in nature, or something we call “Schnitzeljagd, which has nothing to do with Schnitzel as we are all vegetarians anyway,” says Jan. He compares the family sport to geo-caching as they split into two groups. “My wife goes for a hike in the forest near our house while leaving a trace with chalk or paper arrows and sometimes hiding some sweets as a treasure. My kids (a son and a daughter) and I follow the trace 10 minutes later and try to find her and the hidden treasures.”
On the values he deems important for his kids, he tells me, “One of the most important values we are trying to teach our children is self-confidence, since it’s required to explore new things,” says Jan. “But also tolerance, sustainability and discipline.” Jan mentions that he’s very curious about how their children will be when they grow up.
Good Old-fashioned Grit is the Way to Go
Irina Sfetea, Marketing Lead at Plesk, tells us about her five year old son who is a huge Lego fan, “Currently at the crossroad between Duplo and City. When he isn’t trying to sneak in on the daily team calls, my husband and I managed to keep him busy building planes, cars and switching heads between Lego figurines, as well as … pretending to cook jam in his play kitchen.” He also enjoys listening to stories and they’ve just finished reading the Chronicles of Narnia. “Now all lion toys are called Azlan.”
Well, as C.S. Lewis said, sometimes growing old means that we’re old enough to start reading fairy tales again.
And what values are important for Irina? “Patience, first of all,” says Irina, “It will get you a long way and will save you from a lot of frustration when times are rough.” She feels that kindness, compassion, and, ultimately, empathy are also important, “Because in most cases you reap what you sow, and putting yourself in the other person’s shoes will provide you with a chance of solving most challenges.” And finally, good old-fashioned grit, “The combination of resilience and self-trust, which ensures success in basically any domain, from personal to professional.”
There’s Always Time for Grand Adventures
For Julius, SEO Manager at Plesk, spending time with his children is all about adventure. “It can be about escaping to the mountains for hiking and enjoying the picturesque views of Pyrenees, visiting the nearest beach to have a decent swimming competition, or just playing computer games in multiplayer mode with your own team of 3 sons.”
As for values, it’s the ability to make decisions and take responsibility about them as one of the most important things to teach their children. “Rational acting with control over emotions is another aspect we consider to be significant,” says Julius.
Remembering and Honoring Children’s Day
Of course in the current situation, it’s been hard on everyone to continue their outdoor activities safely. For Irina and her family, who are all biking aficionados, being in Germany means that they are allowed to go outside, as long as they don’t meet other families. “We take advantage of all sunny weekends and go out for small hikes around our city.” For Julius and his family in Spain, things have also been difficult. “We are a bit limited in terms of outdoor activities, so backyard basketball battles proved to be a good substitute.”
We hope that things start changing soon for the better. And that we’re able to once more enjoy time outdoors. As they say, ‘tis the season.
Happy Children’s Day, Pleskians!