Month: October 2009

Are Baby Einstein Videos Educational?

Every parent knows about Baby Einstein videos.? The company was started in the 1990’s by Julie Clark.? They combine classical music, colors, moving images, and babies are mesmerized by them.

The videos started out very low budget.? In the early ones you can see the operators hands working the toys.? Eventually, the company was bought by Disney and the new ones have more animated characters and video effects.? There was always an underlying premise, even if it wasn’t explicitly stated, that these videos were educational, or at least, that it was better for a child than other television shows.

Well, Baby Einstein has been in the news recently and it’s been causing a bit of a stir.? And you know how much SuburbanDaddy loves a good controversy :-)

Under pressure from parent activists, Disney issued an “upgrade” policy that allows anyone who purchased Baby Einstein DVD’s between 2004 and 2009, to exchange it for a book, music CD, or $15.99.

There are so many crazy parts to this I don’t know where to begin.? First, how could anyone really believe, despite what a marketing message may suggest, that watching these videos could somehow be educational or beneficial to a child?? I mean, is anyone really surprised by Disney’s implicit admission they may have misled consumers.? What?!!? A company trying to sell its products made them sound good?

Everyone knows watching television isn’t the best use of a baby’s time.? But we still do it because, while it may not be as educational as Baby Einstein would want us to believe, it also isn’t quite as harmful as activists warn.? Plus TV is very helpful when you need a few minutes of calm.? I know many kids who watched a lot of TV (me included) that turned into perfectly well adjusted, functioning members of society.

But this is what really gets me.? The videos, at least the early ones, are nothing more than recordings of actual baby toys.? So a baby is seeing the exact same thing as if they were sitting next to the toy, except the toy is on the television instead of in person.? I don’t hear anyone calling for removal of these toys.? It’s like saying watching football is ok in person, but if you watch the exact same game on a television, somehow that becomes harmful.

Where do you stand on this important matter?

Busy Busy

I haven’t posted in a while because we’ve been very busy over the last month. What have I been doing instead of writing blog posts?

This past weekend was SuburbanUncle’s wedding in Boston. There was a lot of planning and, as best man, I had to write a speech to deliver to 180 people.

I also published another article as a Pull-Ups Potty Training Expert.

We went to a couple of fall festivals. Thing 1 and Thing 2 love going down the hay slides. The bigger and faster the better.

Hay Slide

Fall Festival

Thing 3 also likes the hay slide.? But he does *not* like to wait in line to get to the slide.? So, he throws a tantrum in the line.? When he gets really mad he also kicks off his shoe, which you can see here when we come down the slide.? He cries the entire time we’re waiting in line, then turns to laughter as we go down the slide, then immediately wants to go again, then throws another tantrum when we have to wait in line.? Yes, it’s a lot of fun for me.? You should come with us some time.

On the slide with no shoe

Besides fall festivals, Thing 1 started kindergarten and had his first visit from the tooth fairy.? The going rate for a lost tooth seems to be $5, at least for the first one.

As you can see, a lot going on around here so blog posts have been sparse.? I did try to write one from my iPhone but the WordPress plugin isn’t working anymore.? With Halloween coming up, I’m sure to get lots of good material to write about here.? Before you head out trick or treating, you may want to look at this story again from last Halloween.

Controversy Over Kid Reciting Miracle Speech

I love a good controversy. Especially one that is so ridiculous like this one. There is a video going around on YouTube of a 4 year old kid reciting the Herb Brooks pre-game pep talk. Apparently, he watched the movie Miracle with his dad 150 times and memorized the speech.

The controversy is that a parent let his kid watch a movie 150 times, or that he’s somehow exploiting his kid by posting his video on YouTube. If that were the case, I’d be in big trouble considering how many videos I’ve posted of The Things. I like the video. Maybe the kid has a bright future as an actor.

As for watching a movie that many times, we are probably approaching 30-40 times Thing 3 has watched Toy Story 1 & 2. These days it’s the only thing that will stop his mega-tantrums. Am I giving in? Maybe. But let’s see what you do when you need to get 3 kids to school on time. It’s a small price to pay. And now, after seeing this video, I have more motivation. If we watch another hundred times, maybe I can film him reciting the lines, put it on YouTube, and start a controversy of my own.

Here’s the video so you can decide for yourself

Ever Wonder?

Two year olds are full of wonder. Ever curious, exploring, and most of all, touching. Thing 3 has a special ability, like most two year olds, whereby he will touch exactly those objects you least want him to.

What sort of objects does he like to touch? These days it’s animal poop. Yes, he has a possible future as a Pet Butler. Got Poop? We Scoop.

Last week at Cox Farms we were feeding the goats. Thing 3, who also loves to pick up rocks and mulch, was picking up goat poop to throw it.

Again, today, walking to feed the ducks. The path is loaded with goose droppings. If he isn’t stepping in it, then he is picking it up and throwing it.