Comments on: Feeling guilty

By: Baby Einstein not so smart « The Legal Soapbox

Baby Einstein not so smart « The Legal Soapbox — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:07:18 +0000

[...] Einstein not so smart Jump to Comments I wrote a post a while back on feeling guilty where I spoke about the lack of exposure my child has had to Baby Einstein and educational DVDs. A [...]

By: cherry ripe

cherry ripe — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 08:15:01 +0000

I don’t think I need to tell you how much I identify with this post

On a different point, when it comes to children’s hothousing, I reckon we should “hothouse” them another way - in their enjoyment of life, their behaviour, and their understanding of others, rather than their intellect.

This is far more important in life than “giftedness”. But nevertheless, identifying a child as “gifted” may actually help to create strategies for teaching them the life skills to deal with that. This should be the focus of “gifted” education. This community of bloggers is likely to know many people who are insanely intelligent and achievement-oriented, but miserable!

Show me a child who’s watched teletubbies (where they hug each other and forgive) and Play School (where they create things out of nothing, and to proudly sing and dag around), and who’s read “Wanda Linda and the Terrible Underpants” 50 times instead of Baby Einstein, and I’ll show you a child who is not neurotic.

I thank my mother’s abundant love, time and care for getting me where I am now - an intelligent, socially conscious woman and a conscientious, loving mother. (Hey that sounds good! I might repeat that to myself for a good while…)

Life skills and resilience are important - and come from seeing parents who are also resilient, and happy and loving. It doesn’t come from “baby einstein”! So keep doing what you’re doing LE - you’re one terrific woman. I hope your “baby booming” friends can learn from you.

Happy Christmas…

By: iain

iain — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 03:13:52 +0000

I have worked rather hard to disable my “guilt Chip”. But then I did cotton onto the idea that it is the journey and not the destination that is so important a fair while ago.
My daughter is very bright and like yourself she was an early reader (she could read before starting school) I want her to be a success in life but I don’t want her to feel guilty about things she can’t change that is truly futile.

By: Legal Eagle

Legal Eagle — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 01:39:26 +0000

I guess I try to have it both ways. I try my best at everything I do, but I also try not beat myself up too much if I don’t meet my goals, and to be happy with what I have. It’s a balancing act which doesn’t always work.

I suppose it’s also about being realistic. I’ve long ago realised that I will never be a good sportswoman. No matter how hard I strive, I’ll always be a terrible uncoordinated klutz! So I may as well put my effort into something more achievable (managing to get through the day without tripping over, for example).

By: Shop Steward

Shop Steward — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 01:26:30 +0000

I’m torn between thinking:
(a) I should be more happy-go-lucky and content with being successful, if not the best, at whatever I want to do; and
(b) if I don’t constantly aim for what may seem like unreachable goals, I’ll never know if I could’ve achieved them.

A life of disappointment vs a life of contentment? Or a life of averageness and mediocrity vs a life of success and achievement?

By: Litlove

Litlove — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 22:59:24 +0000

I couldn’t agree more with what you say about children. It terrifies me to see children nowadays being coerced by their parents into clubs and societies and hobbies that they’re not particularly interested in, but will add to their list of achievements. Developmentally, it’s really important that children get bored. A lot. They then develop ‘transitional space’, or in other words, the creative desire to do something. If they have occupations rammed down their throats, they’ll never learn to think and create and want for themselves. Hanging around on the couch is essential for us all, when we’re little, but also when we’re older, because transitional space is necessary for conceptualising and wanting all kinds of activity, at all ages. this high achiever thing is horribly seductive, but it isn’t good for human beings who are designed to learn slowly, make mistakes and take their time.