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conuly
Including flyers for three different kids book clubs. (After consideration, she's possibly joining the one that offers as its bait eight Seuss books for $1.99. Even though we have three of them, hey, that's just three birthday/christmas presents for other people!)
One of them was for what can only be described as secular tracts for children, on the virtues of... well, virtue (in the sense of behaving well, not in the sense of not having sex or the sense of being strong).
They claim to show kids the natural consequences of their actions via comics, on subjects such as teasing, tattling, lying, whining, complaining, and, yes, disobedience. Sample quote? "Your parents tell you what to do because they want you to be liked by other people", accompanied by a picture with a girl complaining that nobody plays with her. Why? Because, as her father explains, he'd told her that if she wasn't nice, they wouldn't want to play with her (and she was disobediant! Not just unkind!). Her pet bunny thinks, with a lightbulb moment, "Oh! So that's how it works!"
And yes, the pictures *do* resemble those found in Chick Tracts, but less scary.
I'm not actually opposed to this method of teaching - I just find the presentation to be a bit didactic. So says the girl who's teaching her niece to be word-perfect on Jim (who ran away from nurse, and got eaten by a lion) and Matilda (who told lies, and was eaten by a lion). I figure she'll learn the natural consequences of her actions in real life - I'm concerned that she doesn't know the unnatural consequences :P
As always, you should judge by yourself. Many people seem to like them.
That said, Ana continues to be a (mostly) good kid. Yesterday, she was mad at her mom, and hit her. I was in the other room with the baby, changing her diaper and holding her, so I didn't get involved in the ensuing "Ana, say sorry!" discussion. Ana didn't say sorry, and came into the room with me to stare for a sec as I sang the baby. And she's still mad, so she snatches up the outside-padded-sleeper. Not for nothing was I once a toddler, I just smile and thank her. Completely nonplussed, she offers to put it away, and does (albeit messily). And then she wants to hold the baby, so I help her sit on my lap and do this. Apparently, the earlier fight is still weighing on her mind, because while holding the baby, she absently mutters "no say sorry". I let this pass - why rock the boat if Jenn's fine right now? Not much later, she shifts and the baby's head drops a bit. No worries, my hand is right there, the kid is fine - her head was just level instead of slightly raised - but Ana immediately goes "Sorry! Sorry baby, sorry!"
"So, Ana, why is it you can say sorry to the baby, but not to your mommy?"
"nosaysorry...."
*pause*
"Connie, I say sorry."
And she did. Honestly, if I'd known that would've worked, I'd've thanked my mom for doing it on me all the time.
One of them was for what can only be described as secular tracts for children, on the virtues of... well, virtue (in the sense of behaving well, not in the sense of not having sex or the sense of being strong).
They claim to show kids the natural consequences of their actions via comics, on subjects such as teasing, tattling, lying, whining, complaining, and, yes, disobedience. Sample quote? "Your parents tell you what to do because they want you to be liked by other people", accompanied by a picture with a girl complaining that nobody plays with her. Why? Because, as her father explains, he'd told her that if she wasn't nice, they wouldn't want to play with her (and she was disobediant! Not just unkind!). Her pet bunny thinks, with a lightbulb moment, "Oh! So that's how it works!"
And yes, the pictures *do* resemble those found in Chick Tracts, but less scary.
I'm not actually opposed to this method of teaching - I just find the presentation to be a bit didactic. So says the girl who's teaching her niece to be word-perfect on Jim (who ran away from nurse, and got eaten by a lion) and Matilda (who told lies, and was eaten by a lion). I figure she'll learn the natural consequences of her actions in real life - I'm concerned that she doesn't know the unnatural consequences :P
As always, you should judge by yourself. Many people seem to like them.
That said, Ana continues to be a (mostly) good kid. Yesterday, she was mad at her mom, and hit her. I was in the other room with the baby, changing her diaper and holding her, so I didn't get involved in the ensuing "Ana, say sorry!" discussion. Ana didn't say sorry, and came into the room with me to stare for a sec as I sang the baby. And she's still mad, so she snatches up the outside-padded-sleeper. Not for nothing was I once a toddler, I just smile and thank her. Completely nonplussed, she offers to put it away, and does (albeit messily). And then she wants to hold the baby, so I help her sit on my lap and do this. Apparently, the earlier fight is still weighing on her mind, because while holding the baby, she absently mutters "no say sorry". I let this pass - why rock the boat if Jenn's fine right now? Not much later, she shifts and the baby's head drops a bit. No worries, my hand is right there, the kid is fine - her head was just level instead of slightly raised - but Ana immediately goes "Sorry! Sorry baby, sorry!"
"So, Ana, why is it you can say sorry to the baby, but not to your mommy?"
"nosaysorry...."
*pause*
"Connie, I say sorry."
And she did. Honestly, if I'd known that would've worked, I'd've thanked my mom for doing it on me all the time.
