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StatCounter Props
Child-Rearing Goals, Age Five
Here are some things I’d like to see my child be able to do by the time they’ve reached age five:
- Interact regularly with other children any way they can.
- Greet newly introduced adults with a handshake and a “Hello!”, and not stare at them blankly like a deer caught in headlights.
- Understand the importance of good all-around hygiene.
- Respect authority. The importance of learning to question it will come later.
- Read and write on a basic level. (Backwards, misshapen letters will count!)
- Say “please” and “thank you” when appropriate.
I realize that some of these could appear to be a bit demanding, especially the second item. On that point, I’ll settle for a simple “Hello! Nice to meet you,” but I think a child should learn early on the value of a handshake.
The Name Game
My suggestion for a female name, “June”, was shot down by Kandis (blasted matriarch!) over the weekend. I think it’s a pretty name, even if it’s a bit dated.
In case you were wondering, the inspiration comes from the late singer, June Carter Cash. June’s sister, Anita, was the inspiration for my alternative name suggestion after “June” was vetoed. That suggestion also ended up in the circular file. I’m not sure why I was on a Carter family kick this weekend.
The Gift of Language
I’ve been thinking lately about exposing our child to the Spanish language at a very early age by speaking to them only in Spanish from the day they are born. Why would I do that? There are two reasons: to give our child the advantage of being bilingual, and to get me back up the level of fluency with which I once spoke the language.
My Spanish accent was once very good, and there were occasions on which I was mistaken for a native speaker. Though it would still be flawed, our child’s Spanish accent would be much better than that of many non-native speakers who learn Spanish later in life. The big decision for me will be whether to teach them Castilian or American Spanish. By “American”, I mean any variety of Spanish not spoken in Spain.
How crazy does this sound?
