Baby Can...Understand the Tax Code

We've all seen it by now. Little Jacob, reading the word clap in his high chair and clapping. But don't worry, by the time Jacob is four he is playing piano, spelling Mozart, and reading about the Civil War. And you too can have a genius kid...providing you fork out the two hundred plus dollars for the Baby Can Read program.

Reading is one of the most important skills our children can learn. As an early childhood educator, I realize the brain power preschoolers possess and their inherent search for knowledge. While I am teaching that T makes the tuh sound, Jacob is reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. My question is, do we really need our four-year-olds to become super achievers?

How did we do it in years past? Without the flash cards and videos and computer games? We read to our children. We shared The Monster At The End Of This Book so many times we wished the monster would appear and eat us up so we wouldn't have to endure it one more time. But our kids learned about language, emotion, and how reading is fun, even if you know the ending. Do we really need flash cards with our infants, when Guess How Much I Love You board books exist?

The argument can be made that Baby Can Read time is the same kind of quality time one shares with the pages of a book. That the kids find it fun, not work, and do not feel pressured. That they are not just sight reading, but are comprehending. So maybe it isn't all bad.

I had a Baby Can Read program when I was a child. It was called SESAME STREET and later, ELECTRIC COMPANY. In half hour increments, I learned letter sounds, word blends, rhyming, and even some Spanish. I also got some social-emotional lessons, and music appreciation. And guess what...IT WAS FREE. And THEY ARE STILL ON!

So I take the infomercials with a grain of salt. Sure, you can potentially teach your fifteen-month-old to read War And Peace. But it isn't nearly as fun as reading Dr Seuss with silly voices.

The best part about the Baby Can Read infomercials? When little Annie or Amy or whatever her name is reads Charlotte's Web and says in her little girl way "dat's not-a niiiiice." I love to mimic that.

Gotta go read to my kid. Matthew ABC for about the thirteen thousandth time. I just love it.