Reaction around the Web to sports training for babies and toddlers ran the gamut from amused to appalled. (A friend sent this email: "Nice article -- although initially I thought I was reading The Onion. "Baby Goes Pro"??").
Here's a sampling:
Mira Jacobs, Shine
"Yes, you read that right, sports training. But Johnny can barely walk, you say? No matter. Between baby gyms and DVDs that introduce your 6-month old to baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and tennis by way of an animated monkey, Johnny will be making the Kindergarten A-string in no time."
Julie Ryan Evans, The Stir
"Sports for the most part are healthy activities that help improve fitness and teach cooperation and dedication, so why not start instilling those qualities young? How is it much different than reading to them from day one? And if they get really good while they're at it, well then that's a bonus. I mean, just look at Tiger Woods ... OK, bad example, but ..."
Thom Forbes, Marketing Daily
"In the end, I think that as long as the goals are to get kids moving their bodies in sustained exercise for the simple reason that millions of years of evolution demand it and not to create, as the Times article says, "the next Robinson Cano or Sidney Crosby," the trend is a good one."
Denise Schipani, Confessions of a Mean Mommy
"What’s sticking in my craw today is how these videos and programs latch on to what is actually a good idea — getting kids and parents enthused about physical activity — and twist it into yet another way for parents to be anxious and competitive, and pass those feelings on to their children."
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3 comments:
Hi Mark. I find it interesting how things get misconstrued. No one ever suggested we are "training" 9 month old. Really? I think people who say that aren't parents. It's more like just another activity to fill an already busy toddler day. I think most parents get it. Baby Goes Pro is instructional entertainment that will hopefully set our watchers on a lifelong love of sports and healthy living. Thanks for writing the story.
Hi Mark. It's amusing how things get misconstrued. No one ever suggested that we are "training" 9 month olds. Really? I think the people that say that aren't parents! It's more like another activity to fill an incredible busy and varied toddlers' day. Any parent know that toddlers have about a 10-20 minute attention span before they want to go on to the next things. That is a lot of different things to fill one day. Baby Goes Pro is instructional entertainment and the hope is that our young viewers will start a path of active healthy living that will last a lifetime.
Thank you for writing the story and for including us in it.
Next there will be an in utero baby training iPhone App downloadable for $.99. It will train new borns to walk from the delivery room to the nursery at the hospital. Some parents may choose to put a soccer ball in front of the kid or challenge another new born to a race. :)
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