Do you know, I am such a fantastic parent that I have been reading to my children since before they were concieved...

[Fillyjonk]

Just wanted to share that really

For this I took silver at the All-Internet Parenting Olympiad last year.

Do you REALLY think it makes a difference though torya?

I am very about it all.

I really don't think that there is a huge point from a child's pov in reading to them before about 18 months.

tbh I'd scrap bookstart and replace it with a well targeted, sensible and sensitive scheme to get parents reading for pleasure. Parents who love reading read to their kids.

The last thread honestly felt like people showing off about how much ther kids were read to.

Now filly, do you want to share with us some of your own childhood experiences which have led you to this state of mind?

Tell us about your childhood - I only charge £70 an hour...it goes towards family outings to the Sistine Chapel, things like that...

hmm well I could do with contacts at the sistine chapel, now I see I am not going to make sainthood...

lol filly

Will put in a good word for you with His Holiness.

We met while I was a UN Ambassador.

Did I mention that?

I do think it makes a difference Filly. Children enjoy it even before they can understand the story, because they can see the pictures, and especially with younger babies you can get all these books with flaps and jingly bits and b/w contrast pictures. Also, they get snuggly time with their parents, and get to hear the parent's voice. I just think it's a lovely experience for parent and child, and an easy, free things you can do together. I hadn't noticed showing off on the thread, but then I'm a slacker who never used my prenatal music cds

Filly I don't think that is always true, I love reading but hate reading aloud therefore hate reading to dd. She sits and looks at her books a lot but I read them only when she asks me to (or I feel guilty because I haven't read to her for a while).

But of course I have been reading to my ovaries from when I first started having periods. ahem...

Actually I'm very disappointed at your low level approach to the ovary training thing. I've been teaching mine Latin, Greek, Old Persian, Norse and Celtic since I was 3 (this was after my mother did modern European languages to mine whilst I was in her womb and my grandmother and great-grandmother covered off Indo-European literature from Gilgamesh to Joyce, albeit in translation). I also get my ovaries to do at least 20 minutes of callisthenics every day and we have a whole programme of activities, including music, gym and social events to ensure that my dc's pre-entry-to-the-world activities produced fully rounded beings. I had to get in a tutor for my husbands sperm, because (although I didn't want to hothouse them) they really seemed to benefit from being stretched a little more.

Obviously, I took Gold at the Olympiad, so thought I would help Fillyjonk (eek, two Fillys/Fillies - how confusing) by dicatiting co-authoring her book

I think the very fact you all feel the need to show off in this hideous manner is merely indicative of your own insecurity.

It is now widely accepted (at least in the highly intellectual circles I travel in) that hothousing one's gonads (that means ovaries too, you peasants, it's not just a rude word for testicles) is simply a way of trying to compensate for one's own miserable existence in a dead end job with a fat ugly husband, loads of bills and being 2 stone overweight.

Anyway, enough about me

It is scientifically proven that testicles should never be "hot"...

B*gger!

That's where we've been going wrong then.

Husband! Get an ice pack on your goolies now