I really agree that holding back is not helpful in the long run, but even in the short run it can have consequences. Because DS is our only child or just because what he was going through was not the norm, we unintentionally held him back. He was reading those basic readers last december, now, less than a year later he can read up to 6th, maybe more. So initially we got more basic readers and more picture books, and we were so proud. But between December and May he got insane for tv, he would even have accidents he was so distracted. We had real battles over it. Then oddly I noticed a friend would go to the library and pick up 30 books to make it more convenient, so I did that. He blew through them in a week, maybe less, me reading and him reading. Then more and more and harder and harder. He had been so desperate for tv because he was starved for new knowledge, we did not recognize that he had experienced that exponential leap that is not uncommon here. Since June, we do books, brainpop, YouTube videos, any type of information is good information for him now. And he rarely asks for tv and all those behavioral issues disappeared. Inadvertently, we had starved him, and he did not react well, naturally. To me it was the epitome of the Stephanie tolan, cheetah analogy. Now if I err, I try to err in too much and let him signal he needs a pull back. I still feel a bit guilty, mainly for missing that his needs were not being met. So like squeezing the balloon on one end, you never know what effect denying the seeking of knowledge will do.
Last edited by DeHe; 10/03/10 04:36 PM.
