Response to MSN article

Posted by Christine Alcott Feb 15, 2007

I have to admit that there are times I am intrigued by the snappy titles on the sidebars of MSN. I like to read snippets of this and that - it can come in handy as conversation boosters.

Today I could not help but click on one that read "9 Ways to make Your Kids Smarter". * I knew, just by the title, that I would not like it, but like a sheep, I went where I was led.

The pictures and suggestions were general. I have problems with the title and the article on many levels, but we must be brief here.

The overall point of the article was sad. A few suggestions may apply to boosting brainpower. Most, however, were just Parenting 101. Do children of decent parents stand out so much in today's world? This article would indicate that children of parents who...well, parent, actually stand out as smarter than their peers. Noticeable brighter because Mom listens or Dad actually plays with them.

I am as busy as any other parent, be they homeschooling, public-school, or private-school. The first ones to be punished for an adult's hectic life (other than the adult themselves) are the adult's children. Having kids is hard work. When you are tired, who wants to go in the backyard and play baseball (playing with your kids in the backyard is so passe anyways. If you are at all in the know, you will have your child enrolled in multiple competitive sports by preschool)? When you need peace after a full schedule, the last thing you want is to have to answer the 1,000 questions kids collect by day's end, or to listen to the minute detailing of the history of the lastest Bionicle.

However, having kids means precisely that. Children are not convenient. They are not file-able or considerate or timely. They are, rather, a glorious mess. I am all for having "personal space", as my children well know. All parents deserve time-outs and minutes of actually having a complete thought. However, people who have children are parents, at all times, no matter how much they sometimes want to forget it. If the suggestions in the MSN article are any guide, then todays' children do not need 9 suggestions to become smarter, they just need more involved parents.

*(This link may or may not work. The problem is with MSN's site. you can see by blog, "MSN's "9" Ways" for a summary of the original article.)