Read me a bedtime story, Daddy.

[gallantwarrior]

A friend of mine brought this story up during breakfast yesterday. My initial response was "You cannot make this stuff up!" Then I decided to dig a little deeper, thinking is was probably gleaned from a publication like "The Onion", in which they do make stuff like this up. The information, it seems, represents a legitimate "news" story and worse yet, inspires the horror that some people actually believe the "truth" of the information presented in the article.

The article claims to be based on a study (studies?) about the benefits of parents reading bedtime stories to their children. That's good news, right?
The Brainy Benefits of Bedtime Stories

Well, if you came away with the thought that reading to your children is something that should be lauded and encouraged, you would be wrong, according the this subsequent article citing the benefits and advantages enjoyed by children with parents who care:
Is having a loving family an unfair advantage - The Philosopher s Zone - ABC Radio National Australian Broadcasting Corporation

For those prefer a shorter article, here's the condensed version:
No Cookies dailytelegraph.com.au

In a nutshell (definite emphasis on nut in this case):
"I don’t think parents reading their children bedtime stories should constantly have in their minds the way that they are unfairly disadvantaging other people’s children, but I think they should have that thought occasionally."

I do agree with one premise in the original article, though. Just because one can biologically produced a child does not automatically transform a person into a parent.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

It is alarming to see the direction " godless philosophers" and their ilk are attempting to steer the future of parent / child relationships. There is nothing more important than a strong bond between a parent and child (except for our relationship to Jesus Christ). There is a very serious attempt being made to create a distance between parents and their children - we see it in the public school system, Common Core agenda, various laws springing up - it isn't a good sign. If I were raising a child today I'd get rid of the television and use every bit of free time available to interact with them teaching them, reading to them, playing games with them and giving them a strong foundation for their faith that they could rely on in the world they are facing out there. I'd also find some way to homeschool them and keep the world from influencing them for as long as possible. Children need a strong foundation and a strong foundation comes from the LORD and parents - not from the government. It does not take a "village" to raise a child. It takes two responsible parents that are seeking guidance from the LORD day to day on what is best for their children. It takes Jesus Christ to raise a child. Godly parents are a blessing from the LORD.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Most disgusting is, rather than encourage good, decent, beneficial behavior by more parents (and people), these self-important, pedantic morons much prefer to bring everyone down to the same low, sub-human level. Frankly, I could give a rat's patootie how "disadvantaged" someone else's child might be, that's their responsibility to correct, not mine. My business is to do the very best to create productive, viable, decent human beings.
Funny thing is, although they freely admit that good parenting results in more capable, well-adjusted adults, the same "for-the-children" crowd would rather eliminate any family activity that truly does make society better for everyone.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Most disgusting is, rather than encourage good, decent, beneficial behavior by more parents (and people), these self-important, pedantic morons much prefer to bring everyone down to the same low, sub-human level. Frankly, I could give a rat's patootie how "disadvantaged" someone else's child might be, that's their responsibility to correct, not mine. My business is to do the very best to create productive, viable, decent human beings.
Funny thing is, although they freely admit that good parenting results in more capable, well-adjusted adults, the same "for-the-children" crowd would rather eliminate any family activity that truly does make society better for everyone.

Exactly. They are not only dumbing down our children education wise - Common Core - but they are attempting to have them isolated from their parents - to the degree that nurturing, validation, interaction must be sanctioned by - come from the State or not at all. They are lowering the age of children entering the education system as well. Think of all the children in daycare these days ! It's horrifying!

What I heard from one source talking about Common Core is that the elites are not educating their children with Common Core - that this teaching material is known to be inferior and is solely for civilians the elitists want to turn into a worker bee force.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Most disgusting is, rather than encourage good, decent, beneficial behavior by more parents (and people), these self-important, pedantic morons much prefer to bring everyone down to the same low, sub-human level. Frankly, I could give a rat's patootie how "disadvantaged" someone else's child might be, that's their responsibility to correct, not mine. My business is to do the very best to create productive, viable, decent human beings.
Funny thing is, although they freely admit that good parenting results in more capable, well-adjusted adults, the same "for-the-children" crowd would rather eliminate any family activity that truly does make society better for everyone.

Exactly. They are not only dumbing down our children education wise - Common Core - but they are attempting to have them isolated from their parents - to the degree that nurturing, validation, interaction must be sanctioned by - come from the State or not at all. They are lowering the age of children entering the education system as well. Think of all the children in daycare these days ! It's horrifying!

What I heard from one source talking about Common Core is that the elites are not educating their children with Common Core - that this teaching material is known to be inferior and is solely for civilians the elitists want to turn into a worker bee force.

Very likely. There's another thread going right now that postulates that when the producers are overwhelmed by the takers, the producers will take back control. By providing only the most necessary indoctrination, the takers will be more able to keep a steady population of producers working and under control.

 

[The Irish Ram]

When I was a little girl, I'd say bedtime daddy, and climb up into his arms and he would rock and sing me to sleep. I did the same with my girls. When they got older to avoid the "time for bed fit" that some kids have every night, I'd give them a choice. Stay up for another half hour, or go to bed and have me read to them for a half hour. They always chose the reading sessions. It was a fun way to introduce them to the classics in literature.

 

[BlackSand]

Maybe it will help people figure out that there is no such thing as "fair" in life ... Do the best you can with what you have.
If someone gets pissed or wants to give you a guilt trip for doing what is right ... Tell them to fuck off and spend more time or effort doing what they should be doing.

.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Family rituals play a huge part in how children develop. Not only did my father read to us, we also had evenings when the entire family played games, Monopoly, penny-ante poker, other types of card and board games. Whenever the opportunity arises, I do the same with my granddaughters. Last summer we spent a month together at my cabin. No electricity (hence, no TV, DVD, or computer) and lots of books and games. If the girls didn't want to help out with chores or projects, they could start a project of their own, read, ride bicycles, or just wander about the woods. And like so many things in life, parents can (and should) make time to spend with their children.

 

[BlackSand]

Family rituals play a huge part in how children develop. Not only did my father read to us, we also had evenings when the entire family played games, Monopoly, penny-ante poker, other types of card and board games. Whenever the opportunity arises, I do the same with my granddaughters. Last summer we spent a month together at my cabin. No electricity (hence, no TV, DVD, or computer) and lots of books and games. If the girls didn't want to help out with chores or projects, they could start a project of their own, read, ride bicycles, or just wander about the woods. And like so many things in life, parents can (and should) make time to spend with their children.

Crap ... I had a clothing allowance that was dealt out annually.

I had to budget what clothes I wanted ... And what clothes I had to have (including the fact I had to buy church clothes as well).
Had to make sure I had enough money for new school clothes in the Fall ... And so on.
My grandmother used to get pissed when she asked what I wanted for Christmas and I would say ... "Socks and underwear would be a great gift".

Learned the difference between wanting something and buying something pretty early in my life.
I loved the time we spent together as a family when I was young ... And the lessons we learned.

.

 

[Mr. H.]

I used to make up the best stories to tell my boys at bedtime. I'd create them as I spoke from my own imagination.

Sometimes they'd ask "tell us the one about...", and I'd have no recollection of it LOL. They were just random fantastic tales.

Great memories with those little guys.

As for books, this was a favorite:

Guess How Much I Love You Sam McBratney Anita Jeram 9780763642648 Amazon.com Books

I'd hold my thumb and finger a few inches apart and tell them "I love you this much". One of my boys joined his hands behind his back and said "I love you this much". As in... infinity. What a bright kid.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Family rituals play a huge part in how children develop. Not only did my father read to us, we also had evenings when the entire family played games, Monopoly, penny-ante poker, other types of card and board games. Whenever the opportunity arises, I do the same with my granddaughters. Last summer we spent a month together at my cabin. No electricity (hence, no TV, DVD, or computer) and lots of books and games. If the girls didn't want to help out with chores or projects, they could start a project of their own, read, ride bicycles, or just wander about the woods. And like so many things in life, parents can (and should) make time to spend with their children.

Crap ... I had a clothing allowance that was dealt out annually.

I had to budget what clothes I wanted ... And what clothes I had to have (including the fact I had to buy church clothes as well).
Had to make sure I had enough money for new school clothes in the Fall ... And so on.
My grandmother used to get pissed when she asked what I wanted for Christmas and I would say ... "Socks and underwear would be a great gift".

Learned the difference between wanting something and buying something pretty early in my life.
I loved the time we spent together as a family when I was young ... And the lessons we learned.

.

I don't disagree with you at all. My mom recycled clothing and hand-me-downs were the order of the day. While the oldest, I was not spared the apportionment of used clothing because my grandmother served as a clearinghouse for my cousins. My mother made many of our other clothing until we learned to make our own. If we wanted anything else, we mowed lawns, babysat, or did other odd jobs. As soon as each of us got our own jobs, we were expected to buy most of our own clothing and pay room and board.
Do I feel cheated? Absolutely not! My parents taught us to be self-sufficient and to value things we earned.