I started using GD Reading with my eldest (now almost 17 years old) and had SO much fun with it. My MIL who had never ever heard of such a thing was the best help… she spent hours cutting posterboard for me so I only had to fill in the words, make the bits, etc. Saved me a lot of time!
My own mother, who had taught both my brother and I to read before kindergarten (just by reading to us nonstop) was more skeptical, which I thought was odd.
My dad was embarrassed by the whole thing. We were out with really close friends of the family (they would have been my guardians if my parents had passed away when I was a child) for dinner and Alison was rattling off words off the menu and so on (she was about 2-1/2 ish) and the wife asked, “Is she reading already?” Because of who it was I just beamed and said, “Oh, yes, she reads very well.” My dad actually said, dismissively, “Well, she can read SMALL words.”
I lost it… I grabbed a paper napkin and a pen and wrote “Hippopotamus”… she read it… “Refrigerator”… she read it… (I’d have written a sentence if I thought the napkin was up to it!)… I turned to my dad and glared at him and said, “Little words, really?”
Anyway, for the most part I have learned over the years 1) I don’t need to tell everyone everything and 2) if people do find out and they are negative, that is THEIR problem, not mine.
Alison is not quite 17, going into her junior year of high school at a specialty charter school for pre-veterinary students and is in all ways a bright and well-rounded girl. She is sweet, gentle, and loving and sees the inner beauty in everyone. She thinks math is FUN and her teachers adore her (she was homeschooled until high school and would have remained so if she didn’t have the strong desire to become a veterinarian and had the opportunity for this specific school).
I tried not to tell to much about reading activity/early education with my babies to everybody,I only share with my husband,mom,MIL and of course to brillkids forumer if my babies achieve something,whether they can read, can sign,can understand instruction or can do activity that some kid can’t do it at their age.I don’t want people think that I am promoting my baby.people will get annoying.unless they need some help or a guide or they are open minded,I am glad to share the method with them.
There is no need to explain any one any thing when they see a 2 year reading that is proof right there. But never tell
unless the other person is on the same page as you.
My Husband does not believe in this neither does my own mother. So once i realized that I never told tem any thing now there is proof my toddler reads about 30 words. But cannot say them very clearly but I havent told them anything. Once my toddler is reading on her own ,they will see it.
Remember seeing is believing!
Never care about others! #1 rule
it happened to me in the beginning, i feel so excited to educated my baby when I was knew that I’m pregnant.I felt so excited to buy a book to read for my baby inside the womb and so many thing I want to do and my hubby is some kind of not understand and think that is unnecessary!!He simply claimed that baby can’t understand and it was wasted.Luckily now,things had changed,I had approved that baby is love to learn and they able to read even they just are baby,My husband was impressed and now he is more helpful teaching my baby to read…
I usu leave this explaining part out to avoid dispute.
It is like religion, if u choose to believe in it, go for it. If u don, let it be.
Many of my friends believe in sending their children to enrichment/ baby gym classes (leaving them in the hands of professional they thought), it is probably the trend in my country. They were like, u mean u never send her to any class :blink: !!!
Well, i had witnessed a baby who had attended the most acclaimed baby gym in town but not motivated to even crawl an inch to reach her own toy; a 3-4 year old toddler who tears up a book because he doesnt know it is meant to be read.
Luckily, my parents who taught me to read & write early (with just a simple chalk board then) had given me the motivation to go on with the early learning with my little girl at home. She had a larger list of speaking and reading vocab than any of the kids who had attended classes. We go the neighbourhood playground and she had no problem interacting with the older kids.
Thank you for all the inspiring stories here! Will keep up with what i am trying to do now! Let’s read, baby
