Shocker: Baby Einstein videos don't make your child a genius...I say, so what! - Part 2

November 7, 9:01 AMBaltimore Muslim ExaminerJ. Samia Mair

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Albert Einstein
wikipedia

Is anyone truly surprised that sitting babies and toddlers in front of a video does not increase their intelligence? Is it any less of shocker that it could be harmful? (click here for Part 1)

 Some may be disappointed that Baby Einstein videos do not deliver as advertised, but I say so what! 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I applaud The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood’s ongoing efforts to limit the impact of the commercial culture on our children. I applaud their tenacity in going after Walt Disney Company concerning the unsubstantiated claims made about Baby Einstein videos. 

 But there is a bigger point to be made here—the unhealthy obsession with producing super smart kids. 

 There is an extremely disturbing commercial on cable television. It boasts of a reading program that teaches 18-month-olds how to read. Shouldn’t an 18-month-old be drooling, pooping in diapers, exploring the environment, and testing his senses? Is it really reading without comprehension? – I think not.

 Several years ago, the nightly news aired a story about an elite kindergarten in New York City. Parents whose children did not get accepted were distraught. Some parents feared that their child would never get into an Ivy League college. At age 5, their child’s future was doomed. Years ago, I heard of a kindergarten in California that cost $40,000 a year—I can’t imagine the tuition now.

 One of the worse examples of parenting is the parents who have their child designated as “special needs” so the child has extra time to take the SATs (college entrance exams). What message does that send? It’s okay to cheat the system. "Succeeding” is important at all costs.

 Too many of us have our priorities upside down. Very smart people have made amazing discoveries that have benefited humanity and nature, but they have also produced atomic bombs, pollution, and financial disaster. Smarts alone is not enough.

 The Qur’an states:

 O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware. (49:13)

 The Prophet Muhammad, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, stated:

The best among you are the best in character. (Bukhari)

I was sent to perfect noble character. (Imam Malik’s Muwatta)

 There is nothing wrong with wanting your child to be intelligent and successful. But as parents we should be careful how we define these qualities and how we encourage our children to achieve their goals.