The Pursuit of Intelligence

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

I was at the mall the other day and at this time of year, our mall has a lot of different gazebos set up. Each gazebo is selling some kind of new ware. At one booth you can get a manicure kit (for only $50) that has salt from the dead sea. Why you'd want to put dead sea salt on your finger nails I don't know. At another one was a bunch of 3-D puzzles and yet another was selling a parental control unit for the television.

The staff at these "gazebos" are. . .to say the least. . ."eager" for your business as I'm sure they work on commission. So as we're walking along, saying, "No thank you--I don't need dead salt on my hands." Or, "No, thank you, but you cannot ask me a question," something caught my eye. Well, in reality, we caught her eye. Our insta-friend Inga, was selling products to make our babies smarter. Now before I continue, you must realize that we are a virtual gold mind since we have not one, but two babies in desperate need of being made smarter.

She asked if we wanted to teach the babies foreign languages, or they could even learn how to read. We can teach our babies sign language or if we want to, even math! Oh--and I almost forgot--the collection of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven that we should've purchased. . .because now our twins will not be as smart as the other people who buy from Inga.

It is truly amazing the array of products that have all come out just to make our babies smarter. Everything has a gizmo or gadget on it. It lights, it talks or it sings in two languages. But it's not that the products are on the market that's amazing but how we ever lived without them!

I must ask my mother-in-law someday how she managed. She raised four children. All of her children went to college and are intelligent and articulate. And yet, I believe my husband's favorite toys were his legos (which do not in fact have moving parts, lights or music on them) and his marble roller. To top it all off, his marble roller was hand made by his father! Gasp! How on earth could did they get so smart without all the extra help of today's new products?

Furthermore, there are Nobelaureates, Presidents, and leaders--none of whom had all these great wares for making themselves smarter. And yet--they still turned out pretty smart.

Don't get me wrong. We definitely have our share of electronic, talking toys and Baby Einstein videos. But I suspect that we are headed for trouble when we as parents believe that we don't have what it takes to help our children enjoy learning. Want to know something interesting? A study done about five years ago about the single most important factor in helping a child to learn his basics yielded surprising results. Children were more successful learners. . .when their parents just talked with them. No blinking lights, no fancy classical music mobiles; just plain words from mommy's mouth.

So while you're doing your Christmas shopping this year, go ahead. Buy a few gadgets. But think about picking up a game or a book. Something that causes that dear little one to cuddle up next to you and just enjoy you because you're mommy!

Related Articles:

Talking the Talk

Your Baby Isn't Reading the Book

Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger