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Baby Genuii

December27

At nearly 9 months old (on the 30th, but I’m pretty sure if you were to measure in 4 week intervals, which is what the baby books I never read go by he’d be a little older than that. I’m far too lazy to attempt math right now), I am shocked and appalled to inform you that not only has Alex NOT learned to drive a car, but he’s not been to Gymboree even once, NOR can he do EVEN SIMPLE long division. Why the other day, I handed him The Communist Manifesto and rather than engaging me in a riveting discussion of the proletariat versus the bourgeois pigs, HE STUCK THE BOOK IN HIS MOUTH AND STARTED CHEWING! On Carl Marx! WHAT HAVE I DONE WRONG, oh Lord, TO HAVE SUCH A STUPID BABY?

While I have no problems with parents who have decided that they must somehow increase their baby’s brain development by playing Strauss or Beethoven, use flashcards to inflict French on them, or run them around town to various “brain nurturing activities,” I personally see no reason to do so.

If you are a brand-new parent who has never watched another child grow up, it would be extremely easy to get suckered into what all of the Baby-zines tell you to do to make your baby smarter. Why open one up for yourself and see! Most of the articles are not devoted to helping parents get a night off (which is really what’s necessary), but blaring in bold titles simple ways to increase your babies IQ. And to pour salt in the wound of a tired, bleary eyed parent who cannot remember where she put her coffee let alone what her babies middle name is by decreeing that if you DO NOT do such things, IT’S YOUR FAULT WHEN YOUR CHILD BECOMES A DROOLING CART COLLECTOR and NOT a member of MENSA.

I smell bullshit.

I’ll admit here and now that I spent a goodly time trying to teach Ben his colors and alphabet before he was a year old. I was gleeful when he eventually learned them, but I’m guessing it was a built-in defense mechanism that actually allowed him to regurgitate “red” when I demanded he tell me what color the damned stoplight was. I shudder to imagine what would’ve happened had he been unable to do so, although I’m guessing it would have been copious amounts of my own brain matter combusting through my eyeballs and spattering the windshield of my car.

It was fortunate for the both of us that due to my own brain being occupied by such matters of having to learn the origin/insertion of each muscle in the body, along with the name of said muscle, it’s action, and auxillary muscles involved with each movement of said muscle (in a week. And that was just PART of the class), otherwise The Bettering of Ben Movement might have gotten a ickle bit hairy for us all.

Let’s say a collective “Whew” for Ben and move on, eh?

It was shortly after Ben’s second birthday that I noticed an interesting phenomenon: no matter WHAT I did, the kid was absorbing stuff like a sponge. (With the aid of therapy) words became intelligable and varied, songs were sung, colors were identified WITHOUT prompting, and he figured out how to reprogram ALL of my father’s electronic devices within toddler range: WITHOUT MY HELP OR GUIDANCE (although Lord knows I’d have gleefully taught him to do this this just to piss my father off.)

We did a weekly Gymboree Day along with a Kindermusic Day and he thrived. Flourished. He started preschool at age 3 simply because he needed to socialization that I could not provide with my decided lack of other children, and it was there that they taught him French (which he now speaks fluently).

And now that Alex is here, I waste almost no time worrying that I don’t stimulate him enough and that we’re not involved in enough things to make him smarter and more accomplished than other kids his age. I considered starting Gymboree with him a couple of months ago but quickly quashed that idea when I realized that although I was apt to meet other parents there, I was still wearing my maternity underwear and no matter what, this meant I wasn’t about to start getting more social (like anyone else was likely to notice my undergarments or something.) I’m holding out until I can find a pair of unstained pants to wear.

So now I say so what if my kid isn’t as advanced as everyone else’s? I don’t spend my days OR nights reading up on what his latest developmental milestones should be because really, I don’t give a shit (besides, I get sick of being bombarded by the “you should do MORE for your baby” guilt-trip that are inherant to these books. Hell, I think this baby should do more for ME. Like make me coffee and fix my car, even if he needs me to get out the wrenches from the higher cupboards. I’ll make THAT concession for him.).

And I comfort myself knowing that in a world where all other children will be far more advanced than my own, we will always need more cart collectors.

—————–

Am I missing something about the intellectualization of our babies? I’m not sure where “good enough” became a bad thing to be, because where I came from, I’m pretty certain that my parents spent more time worrying about how to furnish their next bong rather than making sure that their kids were stimulated within an inch of their lives.

I don’t see anything wrong with just letting kids be kids, and although I bought Alex and Ben some educational toys to play with for Christmas, I have no problem allowing either of them to simply play with a cheap spatula and (likely lead-filled) metal bowl. I’m not upset that Ben would sometimes opt to play with Alex’s toys rather than more age-appropriate stuff for him, and when either of them does a totally dumbass thing, my brain doesn’t explode in frustration, I just write it off to kids being dumbasses.

But I cannot help but feel that maybe the egg is on my face here. Is it?

posted under The Sausage Factory
9 Comments to

“Baby Genuii”

  1. On December 27th, 2007 at 1:46 pm Tony Says:

    All of that crap pumps money into the pockets of those advertising it. those advertisers pay for space in the magazines that print articles that are, in themselves, advertisements.

    Scientificially, however, most of that crap has dubious support.

  2. On December 27th, 2007 at 1:52 pm Kristin Says:

    As an advertiser – I second what Tony has said. We will make you think anything you are dumb enough to believe if it sells products to you on behalf of our clients. Most selling is based on sex or fear, and what is scarier than the thought that your child will grow up wrong if he doesn’t have the latest and greatest from Playskool?

    To all of it – I say PSHAW. Let the kids be kids. They will be more well adjusted – and you will have less wrinkles.

    Love yah.

  3. On December 27th, 2007 at 1:57 pm Cricket Says:

    I feel for the parents who actually bite on all this stuff. Kids learn when they’re ready. Mine was ready rather late on everything, but he certainly made up for it on his own when he wanted to.

  4. On December 27th, 2007 at 2:51 pm Bree Says:

    The concept of the Good Enough Mom has saved our parenting lives. I wish I could remember who wrote the article and which magazine it was in… I know it was in the spring or summer of 2004… that time was a blur, what with a new baby and all.

    To summarize (poorly… again with the blur): being a GEM often provides the time and energy you need to tend to yourself and your children. Thus, a GEM might bring a deli tray to a potluck rather than staying up all night shaping cucumber slices into zebras. A GEM might not time her kids tv viewing with a stopwatch or freak out that she’s not exposing her kid to enough opera.

    The GEM concept helps us relax when we realize that our kiddo *might* be a little behind on something. Sure, all of her friends draw little people on birthday cards while she just doodles a little bit of unintelligible crap. Whatever. She’ll probably master rudimentary drawing before she goes to college, right?

    Anyhoo, I appreciate how you speak truth to power… the pressure to enrich our kids at all costs isn’t fair to the parents OR the kids. Life isn’t all about constant entertainment or enrichment. It’s about fixing your mom’s car. 😉

  5. On December 27th, 2007 at 3:07 pm becky Says:

    I like the idea of a Good Enough Mom, Bree. That makes feel like less of a slacker.

  6. On December 27th, 2007 at 5:52 pm Chris Says:

    I direct your attention to this:
    http://mushroomprinting.psys.org/?p=179

    Nuff said.

  7. On December 28th, 2007 at 12:49 pm Leslee Says:

    Heh. My kid knew his ABCs and could count to 20 before he was a year old. Now that he’s 7, he’s struggling to read. (I think it has more to do with the fact that he’d rather be playing the Wii that I let him waste his brain with, but who am I to say?) I know my baby is smart, SMRT even! He did listen to classical music when he was itty bitty, but that’s cuzz I only had the one “baby” CD and it would put him to sleep so long as I made sure that I skipped over Moonlight Sonata. For some reason, if he so much as heard the first two notes of that song, he would freak out. Weirdo. We never did gymboree or whatever, but he was in preschool around 3 or 4.

    My baby is normal and that’s just fine.

  8. On December 28th, 2007 at 2:08 pm Emily R Says:

    I know I posted that I would not be commenting, but you did ask people to delurk. I do a lot of Gymboree-type classes. This is not to make the kids smarter, but to socialize them and make them happier dealing with other children. And to have someplace to GO outside of the house.

  9. On December 29th, 2007 at 9:01 pm Denise Says:

    Woo-ray! Another “could be speakin’ my mind” post from ya!

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