Don't Give Your Kids Twaddle!!!!! Part 1

People may say that Dog is man's best friend, but they are wrong.  Books are man's best friend.  There is nothing better to do on a cold day than to curl up in a chair with a hot cup of tea and a good, worn book... ahhhh, bliss.

I can hardly begin to state the importance of books in our lives.  Books mold our thought processes.  From the earliest years, through fairy tales we learn of good versus evil; we learn about morality: right and wrong.  We form our opinions and beliefs.

Books also teach us how to read, write and speak and therefore are (or should be) the foundation of a child's education.  I can not underemphasis the importance of choosing the right books to give our children to read.

I am not just talking about getting books that are morally correct.  I'm talking about something that Charlotte Mason called "twaddle."   An outdated word, to be sure, but give the lady a break, she lived over 100 yr. ago!   Twaddle is simple language, incomplete sentences, unimaginative writing, "UNLITERARY" writing..... you get the idea.  We've all seen this type of writing.  The library is full of such books.  That's why its important to be selective.

Here is an example from a reading book I had picked up for Breck and had not checked over carefully:

"Rushing down the highway, rolling down the road. Truck Stop."


What was that?  That's not a sentence.  Breck was totally confused.  He could tell that  "rushing down the highway, rolling down the road" was not a complete thought.  Needless to say, we will not be finishing the book.


On the other hand, here is an example of good literary writing by Rudyard Kipling.  This is taken from the beginning of one chapter from his book, "Just So Stories."

"Once upon a most early time was a Neolithic man.  He was not a Jute or an Angle, or even a Dravidian, which he might well have been, Best Beloved, but never mind why.  He was a Primitive, and he lived cavily in a Cave, and he wore very few clothes, and he couldn't read and he couldn't write and he didn't want to, and except when he was hungry he was quite happy.  His name was Tegumai Bopsulai, and that means, 'Man-who-does-not-put-his-foot-forward-in-a-hurry'; but we, O Best Beloved, will call him Tegumai, for short.  And his wife's name was Teshumai Tewindrow, and that means, 'Lady-who-asks-a-very-many-questions'; but we, O best Beloved, will call her Teshumai, for short.  And his little girl-daughter's name was Taffimai Metallumai, and that means, 'Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked'; but I"m going to call her Taffy  And she was Tegumai Bopsulai's Best Beloved and her own Mummy's Best Beloved, and she was not spanked half as much as was good for her; and they were all three very happy."

That's good writing.

All I'm saying is think about what you give your children to feast their minds upon.  What you read is what you become and for what you will develop an appetite.  I regularly read books to my children that are hard for them to understand.  Sometimes I have to stop every sentence or two to explain what is happening or explain new words that they don't understand.  THAT'S OKAY!  They are learning.  Their minds are being challenged and are expanding with new understanding every day.

There is one more reason for not allowing a constant diet of fluffy material, and that is because the main reason we teach our children to read is so they can read the greatest literary masterpiece ever written-the Bible.  How can children be expected to grow up and read the Bible consistently, revere it, love it, and at least somewhat understand it if they have been fed twaddle all their lives.  I'm afraid I've been around far too many Christians who stumbled around trying to read a passage from the Bible.  The Bible is a difficult book to read, so we better be preparing our children.


Something to think about.

Try A Little Tenderness

In honor of Valentine's Day here is one of my all-time favorite love songs.  I have so many that its hard to say which on is my favorite, so this is ONE of my favorites.  This song just gets me every time I hear it.  I become a pile of mush every time.  And Michael Buble is just....well, pretty awesome.

Oh, and if you're interested in seeing him up close and personal you can get a front row ticket at Conseco Field House this summer for only $1,700.00  That's just a tad over my budget, so I'll have to watch on youtube.

Happy Valentine's Day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68yM87fcktE&feature=related

Mattise, Van Gogh or Picasso?

I believe that every child can learn to draw.  Its just like learning to read, sure it might come easier for some than for others, but they can all be taught.  I am constantly amazed at the creativity and artistic abilities of children.  All they need is a little guidance

Here are some pictures that my kids have drawn in art class this year (all but one are Breck's).  Breck says that he either wants to be a carpet-installer like his Dad or an artist when he grows up.  I think he has a good start on the artist.

The first two pictures are flowers in a vase.

The next picture is of his favorite hero...Larry Boy.

Space.

A Boy's Face.

Autumn saw her big brother drawing a face and decided she should draw one too.  Autumn loves color...LOTS of color.  I absolutely love this picture.  It really has quite a lot of emotion in it.

I swear it looks as good as some stuff that I've seen in art galleries!  Do we still have child labor laws?

JOKE, people, a joke!