So, I'm really liking Double X. I do agree with Ann Friedman that these articles shouldn't be in the girl ghetto; they should be on the front page.
I enjoyed Ann Hulbert's review of Bad Mother
and Dooce's new book
I also loved Emily Bazelon's article about a new study that examined the variables that predict reading ability in young children. Bazelon explores the surprising findings.
Surprisingly, the amount of shared parent-child reading time did not
matter, on average, for the reading skills of either group of kids.
What mattered instead, for the kids of average-reader mothers, was [not] how
often a child amuses herself with books. What mattered for the kids of
the high-reading moms was how orderly the family's home was."
matter, on average, for the reading skills of either group of kids.
What mattered instead, for the kids of average-reader mothers, was [not] how
often a child amuses herself with books. What mattered for the kids of
the high-reading moms was how orderly the family's home was."
Bad news for my kids, I suppose.
Apt. 11d 
“household order taps a more fundamental characteristic of parents or households, such as maternal industriousness, planning ability, or conscientiousness, that gives rise to both orderliness and better reading skills in children.”
Emphasis added. Harumph.
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Harrumph to “maternal.”
Also, their notion of order certainly seems to belie the claim of having controlled for socioeconomic factors. As they describe order, it very much seems to skew toward families that aren’t operating anywhere near the edge — where mom stays home or gets home with plenty of time to make dinner, where mom has the energy to exercise “executive function” after making dinner, putting kids to bed, etc., and so forth.
I’m skeptical.
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“where mom stays home or gets home with plenty of time to make dinner, where mom has the energy to exercise “executive function” after making dinner, putting kids to bed, etc., and so forth.”
Ah, perhaps. But, haven’t you always suspected that there are *other* mothers who are just better at that kind of thing than you are (of course, I don’t mean you, specifically). I believe my disorder is personality-, and not situation-based. Fortunately, my elder child has already proven herself a “high-reader”, or I’d be more worried. I do have another test subject, though.
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I am really curious to know more about “executive functioning” as it’s something I think my son does not have and it’s something I need to work on with him. I’m not sure I have it, but maybe I do. Certainly, my home is disordered, as is my office. But I can keep on top of things well enough. I did bring the wrong class’s exams to my final today, though. *facepalm* Luckily, the problem was easily fixed and I didn’t have to walk back to my office, 5-10 minutes away.
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“I am really curious to know more about “executive functioning” as it’s something I think my son does not have and it’s something I need to work on with him. I’m not sure I have it, but maybe I do.”
I was reading something on executive function recently (I believe it was in Tony Attwood’s “Complete Guide to Asperger Syndrome”) and the author said that some men with Asperger’s go straight from having an “executive secretary mom” to an “executive secretary wife”.
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we have two high-reading kids descended from a high-reading mom, and a disorderly house.. though mealtimes and bedtime routines are sacrosanct for the most part.
#2 son was reading at school for several months before we knew he could read – he preferred that we read to him.. now nobody wants me to read to them, I miss it rather.
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Here’s a silly question: Are early reading skills significant? It’s not overall reading skills, but early reading skills which the researchers were measuring. I can well believe that, among high-reading mothers, those who are organized enough to enforce chores and regular bedtimes are also organized enough to whip out the flashcards and such.
Let’s agree that early readers aren’t in danger of not learning to read at all. In fourth/fifth grade, though, can you pick out the early readers on objective tests of reading ability? Does it make a difference in the long run, among children who learn to read without remediation?
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“Does it make a difference in the long run, among children who learn to read without remediation?”
Here’s a complicating issue: What if some of the early readers would have needed remediation if they hadn’t been getting whatever they were getting at home? What if the home X factor was the equivalent of remediation?
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“Here’s a silly question: Are early reading skills significant? ”
I’ve wondered this for a long time. Reading early (really reading) has payoff, because it allows access to a wide array of material. But, does having early phoneme skills payoff? Does it identify at risk readers? does it identify earlier v later readers?
I’ve always had an odd take on the reading question, because all of my early reading experience was in a different language (a very different one). Then, I learned english (the spoken language) and reading, within the same short 6 month period, when I was between 6-7. So, from my anecdotal experience of 1 (and now 2), I tend to believe that reading is like language, will be acquired with exposure, for most children (though perhaps a smaller percent than for language). The literature is confusing and mixed, and never addresses my questions, since early reading data/research almost always pertains to children with atypical development.
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According to her mother, my wife could read at 3. I’ve always been a bit doubtful of this (quietly as it’s bad to call your most reliable baby-sitter a liar). Now I’m even more doubtful that I see how quickly my son can memorize words even though I know he can’t tell an A from a B.
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MH,
It’s true that kids are famous for learning to “read” logos like Starbucks or McDonald’s, but some kids really do learn to read at 3. Laura, wasn’t your youngest reading at 3?
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Don’t get me started on the McDonald’s thing. I don’t even know how he knows McDonald’s exists, but he’s been demanding to go. He knows what Starbucks is, but that’s not much of a mystery as we’ve always taken him there.
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According to my mother, I was reading at 3. Considering I have memories of people getting me to read the NY Times to them at age 4 or so, I tend to believe this. My son was definitely reading by his 4th birthday (my daughter was reading by her 5th). At almost-7, E is still an excellent reader. At age 43, I’m an English professor, so I guess my reading skills have slacked off. 😉
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Ian was reading by 3 and was tested at 4. He scored in the 99% for decoding and comprehension. Jonah was reading early, but not as early. He was reading before Kindergarten. We had bedtime reading times for my kids, but zero flash cards. Actually, I have no idea how Ian learned to read. His early reading skills have leveled off, but his math and spacial skills are now off the charts.
By Jonah’s age (nearly 10), all the kids know how to read, but some do like doing it more and, thus, read more. Not sure if early reading has anything to do with it. What’s more distressing is that I’m starting to see for the first time the impact of SES on the kids. Jonah’s home advantages are starting to become glaringly obvious. I feel bad about that.
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I was with E at the haircutting place once, getting my hair cut, and to keep him busy I told him to read me the nursery rhymes from a book he’d found (“four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. Whoa!”). The haircutter was amazed he could read so well. She asked if we taught him, and I said no, he just kind of taught himself as we read to him every night. She said she only read to her 5 year old a few times a week. I wonder if, after seeing Eric read, she changed her kid’s bedtime routine a bit.
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We don’t read stories at bedtime anymore. We have to create on the spot as, if you read a book, there’s always the chance that the story won’t contain a dragon, a knight with the same name as the smallest member of the audience, a squire named Henry, and a chase on horseback.
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