I’ve Been Had!

So, around the time I was all prego, I started noticing all of these “Your Baby Can Read” commercials, and thought “Wow! They’re so young & they’re READING! WE have to have this!!“ I want Emery to learn. I want her to enjoy reading. To not have a hard time in school and know that she is a smart girl. Whatever she wants to do, she can! Because in all honesty, I don’t want MY life (financially) for her. 

I never went to college, and only now am I looking into going back. I was an average student, but only because I had to be. If I wasn’t, no basketball for me. So, I tried to make at least A/B’s. Then, we got homeschooled and I graduated at home. And, well, you guys know the rest! But now that I’m older, I’ve noticed that finding a job without a college education is getting harder and harder to do. It’s no longer about the experience and knowing how to do things. It’s about having a diploma! A degree. Something people can say you went to school for, so you must know everything about it. And right now education is a big thing, even if the USA is falling really really short in the public education department. But still, looking back I wish I would have done it all while it was freshly stamped into my brain. Now, I’m having to try and make time to learn it all over again, just to pass an ENTRANCE exam. Finding time to do this while raising a baby, having a full-time job, and being a wife has proven to be VERY difficult! And I’m not sure if it will EVER become a reality.

So now, I don’t want my daughter going through the same thing. I don’t want her to grow up dreading school or being teased because she may not be up to par in reading and writing. I don’t want her to struggle with finding a job, or providing for her family (if she doesn’t stay at home). So I thought that if we turned her on to learning early, while she’s little, it’ll just be something that comes “naturally”. Something she loves to do! So when I saw all of these commercials for “Your Baby Can Read”, and some other parents we knew were saying good things about it, I jumped at the chance to buy the box set from Wal-Mart.

I had always read that TV is bad for baby’s, so we didn’t really use it that often. Once a week, maybe? I figured as she got older, we could use it more. Last night, was our “once a week” night and she would clap when the word “Clap” would appear. She’d open her mouth when they would say to. And she would raise her hands when they would say to. I thought “Omg! She’s really doing it! She’s learning!!” I was ecstatic and even played the DVD for a second time. Well, I woke up this morning and started reading the news articles online for today when I came across this.

Yes, it’s a hoax. A scam. Completely misleading. I’ve been had! And that totally sucks!! I was so excited last night. I thought we were really getting somewhere. But now, I kind of realized she was probably just copying our moves. She wasn’t actually reading. Crap! This was a big MOM FAIL! I should have known better.

So now, I’m a little butthurt that I spent $70.00 on something that does more harm than good. Grrr! I guess we can still use the flash cards and the books though. But the DVD’s will collect dust till she’s about 4 years old, maybe, if even then? Because too much TV is bad for babies under two. And I don’t want to set her back any more than I already have.    :-(

So here’s to you Dr. Robert Titzer, you got me!