Parenting links: Toddlers reading and tweens with booze
Here's a preview of some of the most talked-about stories on the web this week:
Teaching Toddlers to Read? Not Always a Good Idea, Say Some Educators
Many parents think any boost toward reading is good for their children, so why not start early with products like Your Baby Can Read, as seen on TV? Not so fast, say some Maryland educators, who are concerned that parents are teaching children to read too early. They say the practice has some youngsters lacking other skills — like how to hang up their coats — by kindergarten.
The article cites examples of preschoolers who read at a first-grade level but can't comprehend main ideas or hold a pencil. Experts, consistent with Jenn McKee's recent AnnArbor.com article, suggest that face-to-face time reading with babies and toddlers is more valuable than memorizing sight words. Read the full article on Patch.com and then tell us what you think.
Nearly half of US kids who drink get booze from home
For those beyond the toddler reading stage, there's a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) showing that an estimated 709,000 youths age 12 to 14 currently drink alcohol in the U.S., and almost half of them get it for free at home.
SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., shares her primary concern: "People who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are six times more likely than those who start at age 21 and older to develop alcohol problems."
Time magazine points out a variety of studies and opinions on whether young drinking contributes to alcohol problems later. The article notes that countries where alcohol is seen as a food and consumed in a family context rather than in bars — countries like France, Spain and Italy — tend to have fewer problems with teen binging and adult alcoholism.
What do you think?
Comments
singsong
Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 3:47 p.m.
Thank you! I appreciate the link to the article about toddlers learning to read. Especially at the end, where they say, " the best thing parents can give their babies and toddlers is a lot of face-to-face time and a lot of talking and reading, but with parents doing the reading." The research does show that learning to read too early can mean the kids have trouble with reading comprehension later because they become mechanical readers.
Pam Stout
Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 2:04 p.m.
For a little more context, here's a link to some statistics about underage drinking from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: <a href="http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/Pages/underage.aspx#statistics" rel='nofollow'>http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/Pages/underage.aspx#statistics</a>
Susan Montgomery
Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 1:09 p.m.
Your "Nearly Half of US Kids Get Booze From Home" section header is inaccurate and misleading. According to the article nearly half of the 5.9% of US kids who drink get their booze from home, not half of all US kids. This lack of proper editing is getting really frustrating...
Pam Stout
Thu, Feb 24, 2011 : 1:45 p.m.
You make an important point, Susan, and I have adjusted the wording to make it more clear. To add a bit more data for context, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism cites the following statistics: "Drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents, as shown by nationwide surveys as well as studies in smaller populations. According to an annual survey of U.S. youth, three-fourths of 12th graders, more than two-thirds of 10th graders, and about two in every five 8th graders have consumed alcohol. The survey is titled Monitoring the Future (MTF) and can be found online at <a href="http://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/vol1_2005.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/vol1_2005.pdf</a> Thank you for reading and commenting.