Before I bring this blog forward I need to stress that I am ONLY a parent. Both of my children are considered "gifted". My son was not only a Junior National Rodeo Bull Riding Champion, he is mechanically gifted. What is mechanically gifted? It means that he can look at a schematic/blueprint for an engine or motor and build it. At three years old he took apart his grandpa's front grill, headlamps, and bumpers off his car, not only did he take it apart he put it back together without the help of an adult, other than to tighten all of the screws. He has always been curious as to how things work. Never did I ever get upset when his grades dropped under a "B" because he was always conscious of his grades. He turned thirty this year and I keep wondering where my little boy went. My daughter has a tested IQ of 155. She is a math and language scholar (while I can barely balance my checkbook, she can look at mine and tell me where I have gone wrong, without the aid of calculator). She picks up languages the very first time she hears them and excelled at German in high school. With my daughter school was a huge problem, she was bored during most of her classes which happens. Without a "gifted" program in our district she struggled. When she went to live with her dad in Southwest Missouri, she began following her dream of studying fine art in college. My daughter is currently a junior at the University of Missouri at Columbia in their fine arts program. Before you ask, she won her very first scholarship in 8th grade for a pencil drawing, which won an honorable mention at her county fair. Why am I telling you all of this? So you understand where I am coming from as a parent of two gifted children. My children climbed trees, rode bikes, roller bladed, skate boarded, rode horses, laughed with their friends, and learned to live life to the fullest. The only time I yelled was to call them in for supper & bedtime.
Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree. But does anyone feel that many of the shows that are on television seem to be exploiting children? I have already told you what I think of the TLC show "Toddlers & Tiaras". The shows I am speaking of are on the "Lifetime Television Network". Have any of you seen "Bring It", "Child Genius" or "Dance Mom's"? I want to dissect them each on their merits, and their failures.
BRING IT: What it is billed as by the network is the weekly struggles of a "Hip Hop" dance troupe. Ms. D, like Abbey Lee of Dance Mom's is a diva. I don't mean diva with a lower case "d", I mean D-I-V-A. While I do understand that practice makes perfect, I find that some of the dance moves she teaches are not only way too "adult" but are bordering on erotic. Why is that these parents do NOT see the damage that they are doing by allowing their daughters to not only dress provocatively. but allow them to perform in skin tight, nothing left to the imagination outfits, with movements that look like they came from the local strip joint. While Ms. D. has won many "trophies" and "grand championships" what is she really teaching? Is she teaching these young girls/young women that no where will anything they learn from her will be allowed on a high school or college pep or cheer leading squad. Another thing I cannot handle is how she treats the mother's. How dare you yell at me, without me, without my child, without me shelling out many thousands of dollars your "Hip Hop" dance troupe would be nothing. There are times I would love to shake some of these parents also.
CHILD GENIUS: At the end of this seasons show one child will walk away with a $250,000 college scholarship. Hello parents, your child will not only get a scholarship he will graduate way before his peers will. I happen to watch the one episode where one of he young men stated he wanted to "...get his driver's license at the same time he is being awarded his Ph. D...". This young man who is about 11-13 years old is amazingly bright, but he also has a sense of humor about his abilities. I only watched one episode of this show, at the end I was crying for the children. As I stated at the beginning of this I am the parent of two gifted children. Did I sit with my children as thy did homework? I sure did. Did I force them to sit for hours memorizing facts? Absolutely NOT. I raised two children whom l sent outside to play, because when a child plays they are also learning. These children are so traumatized when being eliminated from this show. I think competition is VERY healthy for every child, however berating your child because they answered a question wrong, which they ended up breaking down into tears, they needed your love, your understanding, your arms around them reminding them that you "LOVE" them unconditionally.
DANCE MOMS: Oh Abbey Lee, what a D-I-V-A you are. You are an out of shape, out of control dance teacher that screams at the parents, whom by the way pay your salary, keep a roof over your head, and a barre in your dance studio. Every season you get worse, you demand more, you berate more, and still have not figured out that many of the problems with the parents you created. I stopped watching after the second season, but one cannot miss the previews on other networks for this show.
I am tired of our children being used as pawns by the adults that are supposed to love them. These parents need to be turned in for "child abuse". Child abuse has many forms, they very worst form of child abuse is VERBAL. When you say something to your child or children that is negative, that statement will ALWAYS be there to haunt them. God gave us children to love, as a gift, to nurture to grow them as you would grow a flower or tree. What we teach our children, they in turn teach their children.
I will put away my soapbox, and go back to my bench to watch the world go by.
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