As I sat sipping coffee this morning, staring into space, the voice on the TV news filtered in when he/she began discussion about teaching babies as young as 6 months old, sign language so that they might end their frustrations about communicating their needs to their puzzled parents.
I was stunned! When will they stop pushing this crap on these unwary new moms and daddies who are so caught up in their whirlwind lives and careers that they believe every Tom, Dick, and Harry's pitch for products to relieve them of their guilt for not spending more quality time (which I feel is another product endorsement made up guilt factor) with their babies. You've got to wonder how we ever survived to see adulthood without all the things you're pushed to believe you must purchase in order to raise a healthy and well mannered child these days. It could be that I suffer from brain damage due to the fact that my Momma sat me on quilt on a cotton turn-row, with the family collie as a babysitter, while she picked cotton, but I believe children would be better off with fewer activities, wayyy fewer toys, and less stress put on them about learning all this stuff.
Save yourself the cost of the Baby Sign DVD, book, flash cards, etc,,, by spending a little time watching your toddler and you'll notice that they already know sign language. For example, soon before Jillian learned to walk, she'd crawl to the diaper bag and bring you a diaper. What do you think that meant? After she learned to toddle, she'd take her cup to the fridge and stand there until you noticed. What do you think she wanted? When she climbs into a chair at the dining table, would you think that it was because she did NOT want something to eat? (in all honesty, in her case, she's liable to climb right up onto the table and start dancing to commercial music from the tv, Ha!). When they whack you on the head with their dolly, that definitely means "let's play".
All I'm saying is stop feeling guilty and save yourself some big bucks. If you want always well-behaved little adults who obey all commands then perhaps you should not have had children. Animals, by nature, will behave better.
Conceal-Carry For Teachers
In Madison, WI, in the wake of school shootings in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin earlier this fall, a Wisconsin legislator is planning to introduce legislation that would allow teachers, principals, administrators, and other school personnel to carry concealed firearms. The Republican Rep., Frank Lasee, says his legislation would hinge on school staff members receiving srict training on the use of firearms and he also acknowledged the need to work around the federal law that bans guns on school grounds.
Do you reckon it should also include the possibility that in arming your teachers and faculty, you're giving children even easier access to loaded guns? Why bother to sneak them in, lift them from a teacher. You know, Correction Officers are not even armed with guns inside a prison where they'll come in contact with the prisoners, and there's a reason for that.
This man should be presented with the Dumb Ass of the decade award.
Ok, I'm done ranting now.
17 comments:
Why don't they just make a baby robot? Sheesh
It does make me wonder how I ever got my young ones raised without all these "requirements" of today - and they seem fairly normal - most days. :) ec
I loved raising my children. We had such fun. And we didn't know sign language or have any computer skills.
I'm with you all the way.
Cas
And guns in school on purpose - who ever heard of such a thing?
It seems to me that if the babies are content with signing, what would be the use of learning to speak the words?
And the gun thing? I'll bet it wouldn't be a month before a teacher's gun got made off with. Then they'd really have a problem. They would KNOW there was a loose gun floating around. What an idiotic idea.
You're right that this is just another mass marketing idea aimed at guilty parents who aren't spending enough time with their kids. Even lay psychologists know the two things that have the greatest positive impact on a child's early development are the amount of attention they're paid, and open-ended play. How many parents have remarked that their young children are usually more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than the gifts they'd contained?
Bozos.
Yup yup. And most cops, if you get up on them and put your hand on their gun, they freeze up. Don't know what to do. No I haven't done this. LOL But have talked with guys who train officers and TOs and that is their number one complaint.
Also too much foam-padding and trying to protect kids from *everything* now a days.
Love your twinkling trees.
Good rant, Brenda. I see those commercials on the tube for Baby Leapfrog (or whatever it is) and can't believe how early the marketing machine starts. Computer learning tools for a baby who's more interested in balancing a sippy cup on their heads? Kids have to grow up fast enough as it is. Let them play, explore, and learn on their own time, I say.
And as far as more guns as a means to less violence goes? All I can do is shake my head in utter disbelief.
Makes you wonder how Einstein and Steven Hawking actually became so smart without all these new fangled ideas. Let the kids use their own imaginations, not let the computer do it for them. If what the experts say is true, really is, then I am expecting a HELL of a lot more from this generation than they so far have shown!
100% I agree with you about the kids and the weapons.
I believe the most important thing we can teach babies is independence, mixed in with lots of hugs and love. It tickled me the other day when my sis-in-law gave me an old timey playpen for the baby. She loves it, and I can keep her without having to "hold her" all the time like a lot of folks do these days.
And, yes, we KNOW what they want and need! That tickles me about Jillian and the commercials. Hunter is the opposite; she ignores them, babbles when they're on, and then when the program comes back on, she's all ears. She does love music though!
On your comment of "but I believe children would be better off with fewer activities, wayyy fewer toys, and less stress put on them about learning all this stuff." BRAVO!! I couldn't agree more!!
Yes the guy should be given the dumb ass of the year award FOR SURE!
I agree! I had one of those books that tell what kids should be doing at what age - lol, my 2 never went by the book.
Love your Christmas theme!
Brenda, you are a wise, wise woman, mother and wife!!
I give you two hearty AMENS!
There are no secrets about anything. Love your children and watch them. No gimmicks will give them "the edge" that will beat love and concern.
On your second point, I predict that if you introduce more guns to the school, there will be more tragedies.
You cannot legislate safety where a few nut cases are responsible for the problem.
I saw that "signing" thing on TV, and thought OMG what next? Leave the little critters be already. Like you said, when they hit you on the head with a dolly, you know they want to play:) There is always some whacko out there trying to stir it up.
Like you, I also find it ridiculous the way these "experts" are now telling you how to raise a child! I feel sad that children of today will never know the freedom and joy our generation had growing up, with no computers, very little toys, none of all that safety gear, etc. In one book I had read, it said not to feed a baby any pablum even until 6 months old...well my babies were almost 10 lbs each and let me tell you, by a month old, they were on pablum because the milk just wouldn't hold them!
Oh my Dog!! I can't believe you wrote about that!
My ex-sis-in-law (called the Mercenary Tw*t by my normally soft-spoken husband) had a business doing that.
It didn't go too well.
Bummer. snarf.
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