I could have phrase my ideas better. I feel that there have been more instances than previously of what I think of as bragging to make others feel inadequate, as opposed to celebrating some wonderful achievement or whatever.
Made up example of the former:
"I'm having trouble getting little DS to write. He hates it. Any suggestions?"
Reply to engender inadequacy: "My DD started writing when she was 4 months old! I gave her some bright crayons and some construction paper."
Thoughtful reply: "Have you tried X or Y? Check this thread from a year ago..."
One of the worst offenders of this kind of thing (IMHO) hasn't posted in a while. But my point was that it came up, it put me off the board, but I don't want to formally regulate speech (at least, not in this way).
Example of celebrating achievement: see the Ultimate Brag thread.
That's a great example. Thankfully I missed that thread (I don't read them all - actually)
I think those examples would be useful to send out as a 'welcome to the forum' not as in "you may not do this" but as in "We are proud of the atmousphere we've created here, please contribute to it's maintenance by doing this as little as possible, and not being freaked out if we complain when you do do this.
Maybe if we made if funny somehow? Remember that highlight's magazine with the good example and the bad example?
I also would like to be upfront about our 'pro-gradeskipping' flavor. Not that we think gradeskipping has no downside or is a cure-all, but there are lots of families here for whom it is a least-worst option. But that if a person joins who can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing to a child, then they should at least be warned tread gently and to stick to personal experience instead of proclimation of opinions in that particular area. I have no idea how to put that.
((shrugs and more shrugs))
Grinity
