“Teaching the baby to read/do math”
when this idea is introduced to people, some express amazement; some may show interest; but many others may scoff at it saying you have gone crazy.
What was the reaction of your spouse/friends with whom you shared the concept?
and
how did you manage to stay put?
We already have a thread about the same thing http://forum.brillkids.com/general-discussion-b5/explaining-this-to-others!/
Hi when I first introduced the concept of early learning to my husband and family they were sceptical. But my husband is very supportive so he said that If i wanted to try it, it was ok with him. My family just kinda laughed when I told them about it but they have seen how my daughter is so much more interested in books and reading then she ever was after I started flash cards and Little Reader.
I have a friend who keeps asking if bub is reading “War and Peace” yet, but is amazed to see her signing and various “smart” things.
The problem I face is not scoffing from bubs dad but having to carry the learning load, plus managing other kids and housework by myself. If only he would take a more active role in the teaching process. Still, I shouldnt complain. My ex-husband refused to let me homeschool, but when I asked bubs dad he said “what are you asking me for? You’re the one who has to do it!” So I can do whatever I want teaching-wise. Except I have to do it all!
my husband also are not convinced with this but i try to let him realize how my baby is clever how she read in front of him so he start to accept it but he didnt help me in preparing or teaching just passive !!!
Same thing happened with me.I introduced this website to my hubby he was like this is crazy.My mom-in-law was like impossible n said Ur putting too much load on the tiny brain.They convinced only after I showed them videos of babies reading. :nowink:
I am very lucky, Myhusband is extremely supportive and thinks its a great idea, its the rest of my family that is not to sure but now they see that the little miss is just booming along they are starting to come around.
Scoffers?? I live in Australia, where people exhibit the Tall Poppy syndrome… if someone seems better at something, cut them down. A friend saw bub signing the other day and rather than saying, “wow, that’s amazing”, she said, “She ought to be talking by now!” Today she said “She ought to be getting her own arms through her seatbelt by now. My daughter already was by her age. But SHE’s a smart cookie. And it looks like her baby sister is going to be a smart cookie too.” (Not-too-veiled message… her kids are smart, my bub is dumb). Makes you get a fresh load of determination to fight for your child’s honour. Just wait until I tell bub’s dad… that’ll get him with the program too, someone disparaging his daughter’s intelligence like that. I can see me uploading a YouTube video soon, so this friend and her family can see exactly how “dumb” my baby is!!!
Nikita, Australia and small town Canada could be next door to each other!
It seems very difficult to gather any support for early education in my community. The lack of support began at the library when I requested GD ‘Teach your baby math’ book. The librarian told me that I could teach my child how to count by giving her candy and only letting her eat them once she counted them. Correct, even the local librarian is against early learning!
After the library experience I have not shared this part of my parenting with anyone, including my in-laws. Even my partner barely knows about it because he is almost never home.
I was getting really discourgared with the games and other parts of my parenting (EC, toddler bf, etc) before I found this website. It is soooo wonderful to have a place that feels nonjudgemental. It lifts my spirit to read others who are trying the teaching methods and having success. I feel less lonely knowing there are other parents out there with similiar views. I just love this forum.
Even if everyone in my small town backwards stuck in the previous century is against my parenting, I know there is support out there! Thanks all.
My husband is very supportive, he thinks is great! He doesn’t prepare as many materials and does as much research as I do, but he helps a lot. We laminated flash cards together. Every morning while I’m working, he reads to my daughter, shows her the labels around the house and shows her YBCR video once and if he has enough time he glances through YBCR book with her. We also bought a couple of sets of letters to put in the refrigarator and he changes a word every day. Ex. Valerie is smart, Valerie is beautiful, etc. and we show that frase to her through out the day.
My mom was ok with it, but she was totally up for it when she saw how quick it is. My two good friends think is great! One of them just started her baby on flash cards and is going to be getting YBCR even though her husband is not very excited about it. The rest of the people mmmm…just don’t know! We kind of try to talk to a couple of people about basic staff and didn’t get great feedback. We decided not to tell a lot of people, including my mother-in-law (everything out of her confort zone is not good :rolleyes: ). Our baby is only 5 months old, so is going to take a little bit for people to see the results and we just don’t want to have to explain ourselves to everybody. Anyways, we are doing it for her and nobody else. We just want to make things easier for her on the long term, so I get the information I need from here and othe websites. :biggrin: so no need to discuss with everyone you come accross.
When my husband was first broached about taking advantage of our son’s sponge like brain and to influence him to learn sooner and more he was very concerned and almost was against it. He didn’t want our son to grow up super stressed out at having to achieve and to not be allowed to play and grow the imagination. I put his mind at ease and told him it was only for a few minutes every day and that it was supposed to be like playing for our son. I’ve been giving our son lots of tummy time and trying to help him develop and my husband sees the improvements in our son’s mobility and has become very excited and supportive of my endevers to teach our son. He has even thanked me. 
I don’t talk about what I plan to start in a week or so with other parent’s unless they bring it up though… I don’t want to brag or make them question their parenting. I’m hoping the results from the programs will be enough of a testimony of my input in my son’s life and the value of early learning. I get scoffed at enough for being a stay at home mom.
My partner agrees with what I do. We discussed it before the birth of my daughter.
He says he remembers his frustrations as a child when he would be spoken to like a baby, and when no-one would answer the many questions he had.
But I do certain things within reasons in front of him. He does not mind EK so much but once or twice told me to leave the baby alone when I was doing a quick set of words, at which point I had to justify myself and tell him it was the first set of the day or the first one in days.
He does teach her things but differently, mainly by telling her everything her does and letting her touch and smell.
I am really excited to start early learning with my son, but my husband is not convinced. I am a working mom and he stays at home with the little man. I am already really busy when I do have the time at home with my little one and am struggling to figure out how I might be able to do this (alone) with so little time. I am also worried whether my husband’s lack of support and willingness to participate in this learning will at all impact the success we might have.
It is very hard for me because I come from a family where education is very important (and my siblings and I were always ahead of the learning and developmental curves) and my husband comes from a family where education is not important and graduating from high school in 4 years (I live in the US) is a HUGE accomplishment.
I am wondering if anyone else might have run into similar roadblocks and how they were able to overcome or work through them.
My husband has been pretty supportive though I do all the preparation of cards and also programming LR when it is done. We show our daughter words at bath time and since we take turns bathing her he also will show them to her then. We also each make a different sentence every day and then show it to her a few times a day and he has been quite good about this.
I work mornings only while he stays at home with her and does some work from home usually in the afternoons when I am home. I think he is more keen on it because he can already see the results.
My husband is moderately supportive in that he lets me do it… with occasional remark of me being married to the computer when I am on for hours…
He didn’t like me trying to teach them Russian so I couldn’t do it for years (reason -they were already bilingual, so he didn’t want them to get confused) I wish I had won that argument earlier…
Nikita,
I have a friend who always felt that she was in a competition, she told me my daughter was behind and all kinds of stuff until I just talked to her honestly… True friends will still be around if you present things sweetly and they see the point.
As to physical development, the playground has a rumor that we are acrobat family from a circus and that’s why my kids are so developed :laugh: :laugh: I don’t tell them what else they can do…
Hi Keebler
You are actually lucky in that your husband is NOT at home. So you can really do what you want with your baby and even become an eccentric teacher if that’s what your baby responds to. You do not have to share what you do (without hiding or lying obviously) with anyone if you are worried of people’s opinion. I discussed in an earlier post how my mother put up with a lot of criticism for teaching my brother things like reading, computer skills and art when he was very young. Well, who cares now what some people thought? What matters is what you think is right for your baby. Have you tried to stick to a fairly regular routine to free up time for teaching?
I have a lot of chores too. i.g. no washing machine so I need to carry the basket to the roof top of my building where the machine is, (so I have to time it when she sleeps), and then hang the washing up with my daughter helping me I teach her colors with the pegs so that is not time wasted on chores…
My family encouraged me to start early, although I probably would not have it they had not. Happy I listened to them.
A few days ago my daughter was wandering down a shopping aisle looking intently at the products and a lady passed by and said: so are you reading yet? You seem to be reading all the labels - to which Laurana turned and raced back to me rather shyly. I picked her up, looked at the lady and said: She’s too small to be reading those - if only she knew how much Laurana really is reading. I would never tell a stranger though and I have absolutely no clue whether she could read the particular labels she was looking at or not.
My mother had bad experiences when telling people, so I have kept it quiet - Laurana can tell them herself when/if she chooses to.
I agree with not telling people, they would look at me like I was crazy. Most people just don’t understand that a child can read so young. My neighbor wa 2.5 years old when he started to read and I remember when I would tutor them. I am not sure if someone had taught him at a young age or what methods they used. BUt he could read sentences on small board books on his own. Impressive.