I found this reaction on Mimi Smartypants really good (and funny, of course). Sharing here at Heather's request :) She's a Chicago blogger with a voracious 6 year-old reader - maybe we need to invite them to peruse our collection since it sounds like they sometimes come up short locally.
http://mimismartypants.com/2009/10/26/three-minutes-for-your-teeth/
READERS AND YELLERS
I have a mixed fascination with this New Yorker article about current trends in children’s books. On the one hand, the author definitely has a grumpy undercurrent of “kids these days,” which always makes me knee-jerk cranky. On the other hand, he is sort-of kind-of on to something there.
Really, I am not a fan of the “behavior books” in general. If you’re having a problem with tantrums or whining, I suppose seeking out picture books about it is one tactic, but there is something a little backhanded about seeking to instruct your child about basic behavior expectations through literature instead of through, you know, parenting. I’d feel like Chairman Mao or the Thought Police if I relied on books to convey all my attitudes about correct behavior. Books should be more fun than that.
Not to mention that the wrong book at the wrong time could give them Ideas. When Nora was a toddler, some well-meaning but misguided person gave her a book about not biting, which I promptly put in the giveaway pile because Nora had never bitten anyone in her life. Why would I read that to her? Pssst…guess what? If you get really mad you can BITE MOMMY!
On the other hand, this part of the article really resonated with me:
It’s possible to find something sinister in the effort to hide half your emotional spectrum from your children. Sometimes it might be a good thing for a kid to hear, instead of polite evasions, an honest, full-throated “Cut it out!”
Indeed. The few times in my life I have resolved to be extra-special Cartman’s-mom sweet to my kid, I have ended up losing it worse than if I had just reacted normally. I don’t think I’m all that unusual in that regard, either. And which is scarier: sugary-syrup mom who suddenly goes BATSHIT RAGEFUL, or a mom who gets irritated sometimes? You know, like a human?
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1 comment:
With families being so far flung these days, I think a lot of parents don't have extended family/community support at all and so they turn to books to solve their parenting problems. It's sad, really, because what book is going to help a two year stop biting really? I had a mom ask me for a book about how water is healthier to drink than juice...yeah, right!
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