Is TV Really a Bad Thing?

So I'm wondering if this is another sign our son is watching too much TV? He's known all the letters of the alphabet for a few weeks, but now he can tell us what sound it makes!

Ms. Stephanie has this Leap Frog movie for her boys (ages 3 & 2) to teach the alphabet & phonics. Well Drew LOVES it!

As I've mentioned, we use flashcards, we were recently handed down some letter fridge magnets (well dishwasher magnets in our case), and I picked up some foam letters this weekend for the bathtub. Oh, I must say the bath letters were the best purchase we made - Drew finally loves our bathtub again - after playing favorites for Ms. Stephanie's tub....

Back to my point - if we let him he'll spend hours giving us letters, and telling us that it's an "A" or his favorite the "Y". Within the past week, we've added on to the game. It's now he'll grab a letter - say "B" - and tell us "B" and make the "Buh, Buh" sound for B. "E" or any vowels, he'll make the long and short vowel sound.

For some of the letters, he'll even tell you what word starts with that letter. So he'll hand you a "T"... and say "tah, tah, tah, T-for towel". And so-on.

Seriously - is he going to be reading before the age of two? He's just a sponge, and we can barely keep up with him! It's so much fun!

And who said TV was a bad thing?

Flashcard Controversy

I read something yesterday evening that really irked me and I wanted to set the record straight for our family. One of the websites I frequent had a post about using flashcards with toddlers (ages 18-24 months). It suggested that parents who use flashcards regularly with these toddlers were forcing their kids to grow up too fast - and that it was parent led education.

I beg to differ - at least in our situation. We didn't start using flash cards until he showed an interest in them, which was around 17 months. It all started with our Leap Frog Activity Center - where he loved to push the letter buttons (W & O were the favorite - guess he liked to spell wow). This fascination began around the time he was 9 months. Then after the New Year he moved to a wooden puzzle with the alphabet... and the numbers (he's already mastered the shapes/colors puzzle).

Flashcards came about first at daycare - as a way to calm him down without having to turn on the TV. Drew's kind of a TV/Movie nut. The flashcards were on hand for Ms. Stephanie's 3-year old son who is in preschool. Turns out Drew loved them - and to be honest until Easter we didn't even own any flashcards. Now he asks for them, just as he did this morning.

Does that picture of him today look like a tortured child? We don't force him to do any of it - well unless we're trying to show him off to someone. But what parent doesn't show off their child's skills?

So for the record, while there are some parents who do force their kids to do things they probably aren't ready for - I assure you we're not them. Drew is the one who brings it on. To be honest, I expect him to get bored with it, and find something else that interests him.