I associate hothousing with parents that seriously have their egos tied up in others perceiving their children as intelligent. Fair or unfair, that is how I see it. I also don't think hothousing is usually harmful to kids.

Whether or not teaching a toddler to read is hothousing is a grey area. We read to our children, but that was a far as we went with "teaching" them to read. Both started reading independently at around age two (one of them was actually 20 months or so when she started to read new books, street signs, etc. She is PG, as it turns out.) We got strange looks and pseudo-accusations of hothousing because our kids were reading so early. We just shrugged it off. Who cares, really? We know the truth and, of course, eventually the true nature of our kids comes out.

So is a formal reading program, like "hooked on phonics" or others considered hothousing? I risk being very unpopular for saying this, but I think the answer is "yes". Just because a child enjoys it doesn't mean it isn't hothousing. Developing or following a lesson play to teach a child to read at such a young age - how could that be seen as anything other than a parent pushing an agenda (early reading) onto their child?

Reading books to a child at an early age, even helping them sound out words if they ask for it = not hothousing. That's just normal parent/child interaction.

Using a formal reading program like hooked on phonics to encourage early reading = hothousing.

JMHO. Obviously, many disagree with me.

I think a lot of people try to insist their are following their own child's lead, when it is really just a justification for their own agenda. (Agenda being creating an early reader, or giving their child a "leg up", or creating the appearance of having a gifted child for whatever reason, etc.) This justification might be conscious or subconscious. If a child asks a parent to teach them to read, that's great. Do it! But how many 16 month old children are saying "Daddy teach me to read?" If a 16 month old points to a word in a book and says "what does that say" and you answer, that is not hothousing. Even sounding it out for them isn't hothousing. But responding to a question like that by running out and buying Hooked on Phonics (or any other such educational program) IS, in my opinion, hothousing. These same people might say "my child was asking to learn to read" when, really, no... they child was not. They child was asking questions, for which you should provide answers and NOT a formal curriculum!

But the more important question might be 'is hothousing harmful'? Personally, I believe in the majority of cases it is not at all harmful. So while I might sometimes (secretly) roll my eyes when I hear someone gushing about how their 19 month old is reading fluently after doing Hooked on Phonics, I don't think it's a bad thing either. The kids probably had fun and enjoys the attention he or she gets with the reading tricks. At least that kiddo is getting lots of love and time with a parent, and that isn't ever a bad thing in my book.

This is all just my opinion. I'm just a parent and not an expert. FWIW, I don't think anyone on this thread is a pushy or harmful hothouser. I personally believe that hothousing isn't harmful (in the vast majority of cases). So the term is probably carrying more emotional weight than it should.

One thing I've noticed is that Highly gifted or PG kids really don't need these "programs" in toddlerhood. They naturally just pick things up. Any parent of a PG child can tell you how different they are than more typically gifted kids. It's simply unnecessary to "hothouse" in toddlerhood for a PG kid. They seek and learn on their own. You just have to keep them safe and get out of the way.

Kids that are average, above average, or even gifted might enjoy these early reading programs and in fact begin to read a very early age as a result. Not a bad thing as far as I can tell. It will NOT change their IQ, though. So it could potentially make a kids "appear" gifted that is really just average or bright. But I don't know if there is tremendous harm in that (other than, in some districts, using scare gifted resources on kids that aren't really gifted - but most PS gifted programs don't start in kindergarten anyway, so I don't think it's a real concern.) The end result most the time from Hooked on Phonics (or other programs)? The kids might have some fun. They will read earlier than they would have otherwise. The parent's ego might get a boost. That's about it.

OK, I'd better duck before a stone hits me.