Rushing across the kitchen floor, my two-year-old granddaughter dropped her cup of milk. “Don’t worry,” my daughter said. “It’s a sippy cup. Kid-proof.”
With an angelic smile, little Erin stooped, grasped the pink plastic cup and held it upside down in her chubby hands. Not a drop escaped.
Any mother – or grandmother – who has cleaned up broken glass and milk splatters from the floor, the refrigerator, the cabinets and anything else within a four foot radius will appreciated the blessing of a spill proof cup.
But could such a blessing have a down side? As a former teacher of preschool children, I am concerned about the effect such modern conveniences may have on the child’s learning. As children move about, handle objects and experience the results, they learn to relate to their environment.
In the sensorimotor stage, from birth to age three, perceptions are refined and coordination is developed. For example, babies learn that when they relax their finger muscles, they lose their grasp and the object drops. They enjoy observing this phenomenon, dropping toys from the high chair and screaming for mom to pick them up. Over, and over and over again! Have you ever been tempted as I, to tie a string to a toy for easy retrieval? Learning to walk involves falls and bumps on the head, but the experience helps the child avoid those movements that cause pain.
Of course parents have a responsibility to protect children during this learning period. We close the door to the basement stairs, keep sharp objects out of reach, cover electrical outlets and remove anything that might be unintentionally destroyed when exposed to curious fingers.
However, in our efforts to make life easier for care giving adults, we may go too far in child proofing our environment. A child who holds a full cup upside down without spilling is not learning the law of gravity. A child whose disposable diapers do not cause some discomfort when wet may take longer to toilet train. Plastic tablecloths, cups and plates make life easier for mom but fail to encourage careful handling of food.
Maria Montessori, one of the first early childhood educators, believed in providing many opportunities for young children to develop sensorimotor skills. Children in Montessori programs carry materials for their activities on trays. They learn naturally to balance the tray and hold it level to prevent spilling. If they do spill, they simply pick up the objects and try again. (Another useful lesson!)
One more aspect of our modern approach to everyday skills concerns me. As a society we seem to be depending more and more on inventions and modern conveniences, losing control that used to rest with us as individuals. Years ago penmanship was an art. It had to be, for records were kept by hand and legibility was essential. Just take a look at will from a hundred years ago. Today neither parents nor teachers stress handwriting because of access to computers.
Calculators have become commonplace in math classes and permissible for use on exams. A friend who teaches college math said one of his students panicked during an exam, crying uncontrollably. He discovered the battery in her calculator had died.
Spell check replaces learning the rules of spelling and writers can purchase software that will ensure correct grammar and eliminate clichés from their compositions.
Those who differ with me will say that all of this is good. It frees the mind from the mechanics of life and lets it pursue loftier and nobler goals. Perhaps. But I wonder where we would be if suddenly we were left entirely on our own, without the gadgets we have learned to depend upon.
I don’t advocate chucking all our conveniences, but I do think we should develop ourselves to be fully independent of their control. Use the labor-saving devices most of the time, but plan times when you use real tablecloths and teach table manners. Use the calculator, computer, and spell check, but teach basic math, handwriting and. spelling.
For my part, I intend to give my grandchildren milk in real glasses. And teach them to clean up the spills.
By Mary Jo Shannon [email protected]