General discussion - Mom and Dad Esq.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Interesting, but also remember that part of Seuss' charm is the cadence, the rhyme, etc., which would aid in retention. (Gatti Jr. does this with pieces of "Oh, the Places You'll Go.") So, what Ty's describing might be the result of eidetic imagery, but it might also be aural.

Regardless, it's sometimes startling to experience your kid doing that.

If eidetic imagery is limited to pictures, I guess that would require lil' Ty to be able to read already. Duh. Maybe there's a different phenomenon for "fabulous aural memory" and I missed that class cuz I dropped child psych.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
If eidetic imagery is limited to pictures, I guess that would require lil' Ty to be able to read already. Duh. Maybe there's a different phenomenon for "fabulous aural memory" and I missed that class cuz I dropped child psych.

Ah. From the name and your example, I thought you were discussing the processing of visual input only. You mean I'm actually supposed to read the linked articles you post?

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Ah. From the name and your example, I thought you were discussing the processing of visual input only. You mean I'm actually supposed to read the linked articles you post?

The "duh" was directed at me. The linked article did limit eidetic imagery to, um, images. Who woulda thunk?

Which means that whatever Ty's kid is doing isn't eidetic imagery.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
So yesterday, he recites the whole thing. I'm not going to tell you that he did it perfectly, but Oh. My. God. I can't believe he can do this. Is this normal?

My kids each had their own book with which they did this, at about that age.

Like me, you have brilliant kids. Savor the moment. Soon, they will be filling their pockets with peanut butter, for "later", and this will all be a fond memory.

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
we shouldn't be astonished that every town had a person who could recite "The Odyssey" from memory after hearing it a few times.

FWIW, most scholars think that (i) the Odessey was very likely originally composed, and isn't a "transcript" of an actual oral epic, as it is usually understood to be in undergraduate lit classes, or even if it was based on one or more oral versions of the story that were floating around, someone went through on writing it down and thoroughly rewrote and edited it, and (ii) generally epics, poems and stories in oral traditions were probably never recited the same way twice, though they are all rife with mimetic tricks to remind the tellers what came next.

This is largely based on observations of both pre- and post- literate cultures that have surviving oral literary traditions, but also has significant support in the actual transcribed oral texts we have, where the mirroring or doubling of events and characters indicate that people were changing things all the time and others were trying to make sense of having heard differing versions, all without too much success.

Certainly "memory" was understood pre-enlightenment (at earliest) rather differently than it is today, and the same value wasn't placed on getting things exactly right. In fact, memory was usually thought to have a creative, generative aspect to it, and rote memorization had little value because it did not generate new ideas. I'm not sure that it is so much a matter of "reading/writing degrades innate memorization abilities, so widespread literacy has decreased our great feats of memory" as "the ancients weren't literate so they developed quite sophisticated formal methods of encouraging memory which we don't bother with any more (ever tried building a memory palace? It's a fucking chore), and had rather different ideas about what was meant by "memorized" and/or "the same."

edited to add: sorry to bring my pedantry to yet another board, but, hey, atticus mentions these subjects and I just can't resist!

[Tyrone Slothrop]

He's already interested in reading, and spots words like "the" and "of" and points them out.

Reading too much about this stuff goes against my whole theory of parenting, which is not to get very involved in what the experts say or what the benchmarks are, and to try to give him lots of challenges and positive reinforcement.

[Secret_Agent_Man]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
When I was in school I took child psych for four weeks. The only However, the skill impedes reading development, because you need to "clear" each letter or word from your memory as you comprehend it, or the pictures all start to overlap. Very few people retain photographic memory skill after learning to read; those who do call it more of a curse than a blessing, because a true photographic memory means you're not able to let bad memories go or fade, ever, as most of us do.

***

ETA: Apparently, calling it "photographic memory" is discouraged. The preferred term is "eidetic imagery." A college paper on eidetic imagery, which reports the incidence between 2% and 15% of elementary age children.

I've never heard of those figures before, but that is interesting. As you describe it, I had "eidetic imagery" while I was in grade school. It helped me on tests, because I would study and then be able to recall a picture of the page in my mind. However, that skill seems to have long faded, without me really noticing -- until I now merely have a good memory for detail (but a bad memory for names).

S_A_M

P.S. No imaginary friends, but my sister did while she was in the low to mid single digits -- "Sheekelshosh" and "Frilly Franzy" -- I was nver interested enough to determine species or gender.

[viet_mom]

Originally posted by Allytigator
Don't know if this situation's already been resolved or not, but fwiw, I think you should give her fair warning as another poster suggested, i.e., get more interactive or you're gone in two weeks...Reliability and trust are not the issue, she's just not an outgoing and creative caregiver. Ally

ROTFLMAO. As I pondered on a Friday last week how magnaminous I should be in warnings, notice and severence, Nanny was squirreling away her belongings so when she left that night, I wouldn't notice them gone. Yep. Didn't show for work Monday and same for the rest of the week. That's when I noticed the macrame basket and moisturizer gone. She called Thursday to say, "Maybe you should get someone new" (Um...you THINK so?)

Water under the bridge; no hard feelings. She didn't like being a Nanny and maybe she was simply too chicken to give advance notice. (Though maybe she was looking to get canned and collect unemployment). Some notice would have been nice as it was a difficult week ("Mom? Help!") but I'm $500 richer and have a new person that started today.

(Actually, I had her start yesterday and I went to see Cold Mountain - my first movie in over 1 1/2 years!).

VietMom (matinees; what a decedent luxury!!; thank you Dr. MLK)

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by viet_mom

(Actually, I had her start yesterday and I went to see Cold Mountain - my first movie in over 1 1/2 years!).

VietMom (matinees; what a decedent luxury!!; thank you Dr. MLK)

I don't know if they have them in your town, but the Angelika theaters here have a day dedicated to moms with infants. They turn the lights to not quite dark, the sound isn't as high, and they have changing tables ready. Since the expectation is that you're there with a bunch of other parents, no one really complains when a baby gets fussy. I don't think that the Angelika is only theater chain doing something like this, but you might want to look around.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I don't know if they have them in your town, but the Angelika theaters here have a day dedicated to moms with infants. They turn the lights to not quite dark, the sound isn't as high, and they have changing tables ready. Since the expectation is that you're there with a bunch of other parents, no one really complains when a baby gets fussy. I don't think that the Angelika is only theater chain doing something like this, but you might want to look around.

Wrong end of the country for some people here, but there's a theater in Oakland (maybe the Grand?) that does this.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
Wrong end of the country for some people here, but there's a theater in Oakland (maybe the Grand?) that does this.

Well, there's one in the DC area too. Bethesda maybe.

[tmdiva]

Originally posted by Tyrone_Slothrop
He's already interested in reading, and spots words like "the" and "of" and points them out.

Reading too much about this stuff goes against my whole theory of parenting, which is not to get very involved in what the experts say or what the benchmarks are, and to try to give him lots of challenges and positive reinforcement.

This is how Magnus started out, early in his third year. We would let him read all the words he knew (a, and, the, so); sometimes we would pause at the end of a page and let him fill in the word. He read traffic signs (slow, bump, stop, speed 25, etc.). By 2 and 3/4, last May/June, he was honest-to-goodness reading. At his third birthday party, he read his birthday cards (including the hand-printed parts) to the assembled guests. Now he reads almost as well as my first-grade nephew.

So I guess what I'm saying is, no, it's not unheard of, and no, memorizing whole books won't keep him from reading, and probably very very soon.

Have fun!! We're certainly enjoying it.

tm

[QUOTE]Originally posted by viet_mom
ROTFLMAO. As I pondered on a Friday last week how magnaminous I should be in warnings, notice and severence, Nanny was squirreling away her belongings so when she left that night, I wouldn't notice them gone. Yep. Didn't show for work Monday and same for the rest of the week. That's when I noticed the macrame basket and moisturizer gone. She called Thursday to say, "Maybe you should get someone new" (Um...you THINK so?)

Water under the bridge; no hard feelings. She didn't like being a Nanny and maybe she was simply too chicken to give advance notice. (Though maybe she was looking to get canned and collect unemployment). Some notice would have been nice as it was a difficult week ("Mom? Help!") but I'm $500 richer and have a new person that started today.


Then again, I could be WRONG. ha ha Well, I'm sorry you had a difficult week, but glad that you've got someone new. I hope the new nanny works out better. After all, you've got to get VietBabe reading by the age of 3 at the latest, or at least reciting Dr. Seuss poems by heart.

Ally

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

OK, everyone gave me some positive reinforcement when I prevented my little greed seed from embarking on an underaged modeling career. But now comes the hard part, and I'm not looking for post-decision reassurance but for input in the actual decision.

A family friend is a director, and at various times (he only sees them every couple of years) has joked with the Greed Seed about being extras in his films. Eldest Greed Seed has always harbored an interest, and we've always told her she couldn't push him about it but if he ever gave a specific offer we'd consider it and think it could be fun.

Here's the problem. He's told us (not yet her) that he does have a specific offer in mind, and it's not an extra. He's thinking of her for a major part in an upcoming film. She would be the younger version of the principal character, and there would be entire scenes built around her character. We don't yet know about filming, and she'd need to do a screen test and get vetted by studio-folk, and it's all still wishy washy, but we need to get back to him as to whether or not we and she would have an interest.

She is a great little actress, ten years old, and it is something she loves. While this may be a premature time for her to enter this world, it also may be the best opportunity she'll ever get. So what would you guys do if it was your daughter?

[Atticus Grinch]

If you think she's mature enough to handle the possibility that she might not get picked for the part, I say do it (with caution). At 10, she's not old enough to make this decision by herself, but she's also not too young to have a say in it. You're also not being a "Stage Dad" putting her where she doesn't want to be or planning out her career for your own glory, so I think you can avoid the train wrecks that come from that parental dynamic.

It's the parents who put their kids on stage at ages 6 and under that scare me. How can anyone truly say that their kid "loves" it at that age?