Let the Games Begin!

With the holidays in full swing it's taken me awhile to get some momentum on this blog.  But with the arrival of a much anticipated package, today seemed to be the perfect day for this post.

I've been reading The Baby Book by William & Martha Sears, and was feelin a bit discouraged.  By 15mos he should be saying 4-6 intelligele words, using partial words, following simple instructions, etc.

Once upon a time my little one would have been considered ahead of the curve, now he seems to be falling behind.  I couldn't help but feel like it was my fault.  I should be doing more to aid in his development.  I began looking for something to help me begin my little one's early education. 

So I ordered the Your Baby Can Read! set.  I had seen the commercials a couple times but was skeptical.  It seemed too big an investment in something I wasn't sure of.  Until I spoke to a fried at church about it.  Her son is about 6mos old and....reading.  This wasn't some strange kid on TV who'd been coached for who knows how long.  Now I had to have it.  My son is 16mos old, sureley if that kid can read so can mine, right?  (Sound like a cheesy plug?  It's not.)

One of my reservations about the set when I originally saw the commercial were the DVDs.  I don't let my son watch TV, as per the reccomendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  But now I was willing to give it a try.

We watched the first DVD today for the first time.  Lots of parents have problems getting their babies or toddlers to actually pay attention to the DVD.  In my case since he's deprived of Tv he was happy to sit and watch for the first 15min or so.  At which point he grew bored and went on to play with his toys.  The instructions witht he set state that it's not neccessary to watch the DVDs in one sitting, and that 10-15min at a time is acceptable.

I'm very excited to see the little one's progress.  And I would love to hear your experiences with this product or other early education tools you know off.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress and whether I'll rocommend this product. 

Nice to "Meet" You

Parenthood is hard.  And the only thing that helps is knowledge.  Moms convene on playgrounds and swap spit up stories desperately trying to make sense of it all. 

As if that wasn't hard enough, once the kid finally starts to sleep through the night you're hit with pre-school choices.  How did that happen?

I feel your pain.  My little one is now 15 months old and I already feel compelled to start making the tough choices concerning his future education.  My hope is that we can swap information and learn from each other.

I have chosen to homeschool the little one through kindergaten.  Then we'll enroll him in a local charter school.  I can't wait to share what I learn concerning day care choices, pre-k nightmares and public school gems.  Stay tuned.  I promise - no spit up stores.

ABOUT ME

My name is Dominique.  I am a freelance writer living in NYC.  I am also a wife and mom.  I'm blessed enough that I'm able to stay home and tend to my #1 priority of raising my son while I pursue my writing career and education (I am working on my Bachelor's degree in education right now).

The aim of this blog is to share what I've learned through extensive research and experience - by way of education (including early childhood education/development, homeschooling, school choices, etc.).