OT - Don't know if I was lucky or not

There is a parenting expert on the local morning news who is telling the
audience how to treat children regarding learning. Being a child of the
1940s and 1950s, I grew up without television and, of course, without
computers. We didn't get a B&W television until I was in high school, so
had to depend on my own imagination for entertainment. That, and the radio.

This woman is saying for parents to become involved in their child's
homework, to take them on trips to museums, etc. The only time my father
became involved in MY schoolwork was when I brought home my report card in
high school showing a C in bookkeeping. Since my two older sisters were
straight A students, his involvement was to sit me down every evening after
dinner and drill me in mathematics. Oh, I also was grounded for the rest of
the year until my grade came up and still hate anything to do with math. I
mean, how important is it to know how to double post in real life?

The expert did bring up a good point about showing children reading could be
fun. Without a television, I have many good memories of spending hours in
our town library, even getting accidentally locked in now and then when the
librarian went home for dinner. I bet I could go back to that old stone
building and find the library number 86 stamped on many of the inside
pockets of books there.

The term "play date" was unknown back then. We kids just got together when
the mood hit us without parents needing to arrange who was playing with
whom. We ran wild all over the small country town, knowing adults were
watching out for us. That was a double-edge sword, though, since they also
tattled to our parents if they saw us doing anything wrong. Of course, I
was a perfect angel. (smiling innocently)

Thinking back and weighing what this expert had said, I guess I was lucky.
I was given every opportunity to stretch my imagination and learn to love
books, something I honestly wonder if kids today can do.

You here who have children or grandchildren, do you think they will say the
same thing in future years?

Judity
My new Home of the Red Fox web site
http://homeoftheredfoxthenovel.bravehost.com/
or read any of my other stories in the link below
http://judity.Writing.Com/


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