Mar 30, 2010

More Clairey...

The other night, she looks at me and asks, "Do you want 'hello' or 'goodbye'?" Wherein, "Hello" and "Goodbye" are her fists. Nice. She followed that with an emphatic, "Ohhhh, yeeeaaaahhhhh!"

Mar 8, 2010

Where's your pocket protector?

I've noticed that there is a huge double standard going on with kids. Why is it that, if you have a child who does well in school/makes good grades/likes to learn, read, etc. that they are labeled a "nerd?" Why do people think it's acceptable to make fun of these kids? Of course, people will say, "Oh, I'm just kidding..." but WHY is it okay?

Let's say there are two children at a table. One does well in school, learns easily, and likes to learn new things. The other child has a more difficult time at school, is in remedial classes, and school just doesn't come so easily to them. Why is it "acceptable" for a person to look at the "scholastic" child, and "kid around" with them by saying, "Nerd!" "You're so nerdy!" "Hey, where's your pocket protector?" What makes THAT kind of chiding acceptable? Wouldn't it be horribly ugly and rude to look at the child that has trouble in school and say, "Stupid!" "You're so dumb!" "Hey, where's your dunce cap?"

My question is, why is there such a double standard? Just because it's a smart kid doesn't mean that the kid's feelings won't be hurt. Why start labeling them at such a young age? Be PROUD that your child does well in school, that they love learning, that they love to read and engage in scholastic activities. I'm having a hard time understanding why people think it's okay to make fun of these kids. Who the hell came up with that? I mean what, exactly, is the thinking behind this? "Oh, that kid's smart! She/he does great in school! Rather than watch tv or play video games, she/he would rather read/play a board game/write a story! Let's make fun of him/her." I mean, really. WTF. How awful is that???

What are we setting our kids up for? If you work hard in school and make great grades, people are going to make fun of you? Set the bar lower because people won't expect much of you and will leave you alone? Seriously? THIS is how people want to raise kids? This is how people want to parent?