He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. His weight was so slight, yet so substantial. He had beautiful blue eyes and the cutest chubby cheeks. He was looking around with his huge eyes, seeing things for the first time ever. It was his cries that made it hit home: they’d made this little person. All those months working up to this moment. The yelling, screaming, eating, crying, laughing. It was all worth it, just for this one moment. He was weighed in at seven pounds, three ounces, and had no obvious defects. A perfect baby boy.
The months before were full of worry and uncertainty. They did their best to prepare for their baby, but had no idea if they were on the right track, and often questioned their actions and choices. Their main concern was if they would be good parents. Both were children of unhappy marriages, and so they had no idea where to begin. They read books, made connections with other parents, and learned what they could. All this to ensure that the past wasn’t repeated.
But, as she held their son, she forgot those worries. She loved him so much, she had no doubt that they’d be better parents. They’d learn as they went, and she knew they had what it would take. She felt as though her entire life was training her for this moment, and she didn’t plan on messing it up.
When her husband held their son for the first time, his heart stopped when he consciously realized that this was his son. His son. A beautiful boy. He’d do all he could to make sure that this beautiful boy grew up to be a strong and good man, and he’d make sure that his son had the best that they could provide.
–––
As the weeks passed, the feeling slowly receded and leveled off at a point where it was still there, but was more down-to-earth. They were exhausted, but still excited to be parents (although they occasionally forgot that bit). They slowly began to get into a routine and grow used to being called parents.
As the days past, they could only wait for their son to start sleeping through the night, and hope he wasn’t one of those babies who took six months to start sleeping five hours straight.
–––
A few weeks later, a friend recommended that they look into educational DVDs for when their new son gets older. It sounded like a good idea to them, so they started doing some research. They saw what the DVDs had to offer and liked what they were seeing. Parents raved about how they occupied and educated their children. They saw nothing to make them think the DVDs might be harmful, and so they began researching specific brands and DVDs
They’d both agreed to wait until later to get the DVDs, deciding that there was no rush or money. They did, however, decide on a brand to start off with. Baby Einstein was highly recommended and even had a developmental expert give her two cents on their website, so they were sold on the product.
–––
As their son got older, they started getting more sleep. He was also extremely interested in the TV. He liked watching the pictures and hearing some of the funny noises it made, but they were concerned about letting him watch any shows on basic cable. They both agreed to keep the TV off around him, as difficult as that proved to be.
As a happy compromise, they decided it might be a good time to invest in those DVDs. He’d get to look at the pictures and hear the sounds while still being sheltered, and even learning. They’d be able to direct their focus elsewhere while he was occupied and they wouldn’t have to worry every passing second. To them, it was a win-win situation.
It turned out exactly as they’d hoped: he enjoyed the DVDs they’d bought for him, and they had a little extra time a day to simply rest. They made sure he didn’t spend too much time watching the DVDs, but still allotted enough time to give an appreciable break in their day.
–––
The routine went on until he was 15 months old. They started to grow worried over their son’s development as they realized he wasn’t communicating, even non-verbally, as much as they would have expected. Even with that concern, they decided to wait to get a specialist involved. Many children held off speaking until they turned two, so it was probably that he was simply slower than others.
Their idea of waiting was cut short in a slightly unexpected way. While browsing a website one day, the mom was redirected to a full-page online advertisement that quickly caught her attention. It wasn’t advertising any product or marketing a name. Instead, it was selling an idea, and it quickly drew her in. The advertisement factually stated the results of several studies regarding children and television, focusing heavily on infants and toddlers.
What really concerned her was the line saying that educational television has little benefit for anyone under the age of two, and that television in general hindered brain activity, no matter how interactive it may be.
Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure about Baby Einstein.
Being concerned and wanting to know more, she followed the link in the advertisement and ended up on a blog. The very first thing was a video stating further information using visual and audio content. The blog listed all the recent studies and evidence of the effects of television on children, and offered alternatives to using TV as an outlet and teacher. It was presented in a very simple format, with easy to understand language.
Instead of imploring parents to stop showing their children TV programs, it laid out the facts, cited the sources, and let the parents decide for themselves.
She did further research, fearing bias from the site, and found the information to be accurate. She decided that it would be better for their son to learn from his parents and others instead of leaving him to the television.
–––
When her husband returned from work that night, she showed him the website. He wasn’t quite sold on the idea, so he told her he’d think about it.
As time passed, he did more and more research, and eventually admitted that his wife was right. They decided to give their son’s DVDs to the Salvation Army and teach him without the help of the TV.
–––
Their son said his first words... and sentence... and paragraph at 25 months. And then he just wouldn’t shut up. At the very least, there were no more fears of birth defects or hindering his growth. They took comfort in this, even if they never got another moment’s silence.
When he was three years old, he got a baby sister. This time, they kept away from the DVDs and decided to teach her through interaction and let her learn from her toys.
Through hard work, they kept their children from spending large amounts of time in front of the television. They didn’t repeat their parents’ mistakes and kept involved in their children’s lives, and their children turned out to be everything they’d hoped for. Good, honest, and intelligent people.
The months before were full of worry and uncertainty. They did their best to prepare for their baby, but had no idea if they were on the right track, and often questioned their actions and choices. Their main concern was if they would be good parents. Both were children of unhappy marriages, and so they had no idea where to begin. They read books, made connections with other parents, and learned what they could. All this to ensure that the past wasn’t repeated.
But, as she held their son, she forgot those worries. She loved him so much, she had no doubt that they’d be better parents. They’d learn as they went, and she knew they had what it would take. She felt as though her entire life was training her for this moment, and she didn’t plan on messing it up.
When her husband held their son for the first time, his heart stopped when he consciously realized that this was his son. His son. A beautiful boy. He’d do all he could to make sure that this beautiful boy grew up to be a strong and good man, and he’d make sure that his son had the best that they could provide.
–––
As the weeks passed, the feeling slowly receded and leveled off at a point where it was still there, but was more down-to-earth. They were exhausted, but still excited to be parents (although they occasionally forgot that bit). They slowly began to get into a routine and grow used to being called parents.
As the days past, they could only wait for their son to start sleeping through the night, and hope he wasn’t one of those babies who took six months to start sleeping five hours straight.
–––
A few weeks later, a friend recommended that they look into educational DVDs for when their new son gets older. It sounded like a good idea to them, so they started doing some research. They saw what the DVDs had to offer and liked what they were seeing. Parents raved about how they occupied and educated their children. They saw nothing to make them think the DVDs might be harmful, and so they began researching specific brands and DVDs
They’d both agreed to wait until later to get the DVDs, deciding that there was no rush or money. They did, however, decide on a brand to start off with. Baby Einstein was highly recommended and even had a developmental expert give her two cents on their website, so they were sold on the product.
–––
As their son got older, they started getting more sleep. He was also extremely interested in the TV. He liked watching the pictures and hearing some of the funny noises it made, but they were concerned about letting him watch any shows on basic cable. They both agreed to keep the TV off around him, as difficult as that proved to be.
As a happy compromise, they decided it might be a good time to invest in those DVDs. He’d get to look at the pictures and hear the sounds while still being sheltered, and even learning. They’d be able to direct their focus elsewhere while he was occupied and they wouldn’t have to worry every passing second. To them, it was a win-win situation.
It turned out exactly as they’d hoped: he enjoyed the DVDs they’d bought for him, and they had a little extra time a day to simply rest. They made sure he didn’t spend too much time watching the DVDs, but still allotted enough time to give an appreciable break in their day.
–––
The routine went on until he was 15 months old. They started to grow worried over their son’s development as they realized he wasn’t communicating, even non-verbally, as much as they would have expected. Even with that concern, they decided to wait to get a specialist involved. Many children held off speaking until they turned two, so it was probably that he was simply slower than others.
Their idea of waiting was cut short in a slightly unexpected way. While browsing a website one day, the mom was redirected to a full-page online advertisement that quickly caught her attention. It wasn’t advertising any product or marketing a name. Instead, it was selling an idea, and it quickly drew her in. The advertisement factually stated the results of several studies regarding children and television, focusing heavily on infants and toddlers.
What really concerned her was the line saying that educational television has little benefit for anyone under the age of two, and that television in general hindered brain activity, no matter how interactive it may be.
Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure about Baby Einstein.
Being concerned and wanting to know more, she followed the link in the advertisement and ended up on a blog. The very first thing was a video stating further information using visual and audio content. The blog listed all the recent studies and evidence of the effects of television on children, and offered alternatives to using TV as an outlet and teacher. It was presented in a very simple format, with easy to understand language.
Instead of imploring parents to stop showing their children TV programs, it laid out the facts, cited the sources, and let the parents decide for themselves.
She did further research, fearing bias from the site, and found the information to be accurate. She decided that it would be better for their son to learn from his parents and others instead of leaving him to the television.
–––
When her husband returned from work that night, she showed him the website. He wasn’t quite sold on the idea, so he told her he’d think about it.
As time passed, he did more and more research, and eventually admitted that his wife was right. They decided to give their son’s DVDs to the Salvation Army and teach him without the help of the TV.
–––
Their son said his first words... and sentence... and paragraph at 25 months. And then he just wouldn’t shut up. At the very least, there were no more fears of birth defects or hindering his growth. They took comfort in this, even if they never got another moment’s silence.
When he was three years old, he got a baby sister. This time, they kept away from the DVDs and decided to teach her through interaction and let her learn from her toys.
Through hard work, they kept their children from spending large amounts of time in front of the television. They didn’t repeat their parents’ mistakes and kept involved in their children’s lives, and their children turned out to be everything they’d hoped for. Good, honest, and intelligent people.
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