Your very sweet and kind. I apprecite your sensitivty and I know it's because of your sister that your way. I only give God the credit for my strength. I was 23 when I had Morgan. I know God gave Morgan to me to draw me closer to HIM.
I hope no-one thinks I was coming down on the word being use. I know what the word means. We use Mentally Challenged. I like it because I am mentally challenged in Math YES I cringed of course. I have heard Moms say to their children stop being a retard or stop acting retarded. I just breaks my heart that parents are teaching their children that being retarted is being not normal. What is normal? LOL
Morgan is doing great. He washes dishes in a local diner three times a week. He is 23. He lives with three other Mentally Challenged guys in a surpervise group-home near us. He just bought a Play-Station with his own money. He was so excited just like us when we get a AG doll [img]biggrin.gif[/img] What a precious Mom you have.God bless her. HE DID!
Yes, my mom completely gives God the credit for getting her through 18 years! But I know every once in awhile it made her feel good to hear it on behalf of her selflessness. The doctor's told her she should put my sister in a "home" right from birth! [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]
I cringe too when I hear that because you're right, who is to define what is normal? [img]wink.gif[/img]
Very good to hear that Morgan is doing so well. Big congrats to him on his PS purchase! [img]smile.gif[/img]
I actually enjoyed it...I read it sort of knowing I'd like it before I finished it, though. The metaphors were a bit strange sometimes, but I loved the dance references (of course), and if I ever do get the Marisol doll she'll evolve into her own personality, not the book character's. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I am sorry for anyone I might have offended with the word. In useing it I had a feeling I would get backlash from someone. I had no other word I could think of to use for a child who was indrouced to us as most likley being either Marisol'd age (10) or even older and then crying over a popsicle that he just ate for what looked like 3 hours which sounds more like someone the age of 3 might do. If it was said the child was slow or even mentally challanged I might have not been so hard this. The "retarted" thing was not a snipe aganst you or your retives or children I am sometimes amazed at what children with limited mental capabilities can do. I have been a writer for children one thing I can never stress enough is never talk down to them. Think of a child reading this book and seeing a child who is supposed to be her age doing that and thinking, "I don't act like that. Maybe even, "the girl down the hall dosn't act like that." Maybe it is what is making Marisol so hard to relate. What can be said for the historical girls is that they act like 9-10 year olds. Most children can relate to a holiday memory like Samantha or solving a problem like Molly or even something simple like myself drawing pictures all over my homework, of guess what horses. Something I kept doing until collage. Hopscotch Hill is another example of writting any person who can rember first staring school or even there children first starting school I am sure can remeber there fears, learning to get along with other kids and finding friends. I just wish more that the AGT LE books where more like that giving memorable characters for children to like.
The books for the "girl of the year" dolls aren't exactly good literature. [img]wink.gif[/img] I found so many mistakes in Lindsey's book that I have made a personal promise not to bother reading any more of this series! I think the authors probably don't try their hardest. Who wants to try hard for a book that will be in print for as little as a year (or in print, but not selling well)? The book is, in a way, a "freebie" that comes with the doll. I would think many girls may not even want to read it since they want their Marisol to have a personality that they give her.
A good book takes over a year to write and revise. My guess is that the authors write these and don't really do a lot of editing and revision work. Since the books are going to sell for about a year, there's probably no big call for them to be excellent, in contrast with the historical books that will be used in schools and stay in print for the long term. It's basically like reading a magazine. You get something that is timely/modern, but will have mistakes in it because the same effort hasn't gone into it as has gone into a book, and may in the end just be tossed aside.
One thing I think that would improve the books is moving away from writing in first-person. Some adults can do this well, but others try to be too realistic and the books end up being terrible reading.
Children lack the ability of abstract thinking until age 12. This is thinking we take for granted as adults. But because of this, a book can't be "deep," unless an adult's voice is inserted into it. This could be done with a third person narrative, but it can't be done with realistic first-person. So, if an author stays true to a child's thought processes, s/he can't go very deep and, because of this, the book will be a little boring for adults to read. But kids will get it because it will be on their own level.
One way to think of this is to think of the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis (picking a well-known series). The author inserts his own opinion at times, and they're written in third-person. A lot of children who read these for book reports when I was in grade school said: "People told me there were other meanings in this, but I didn't see any of them." They were able to read them at a different level than adults; yet adults can read the same books and get a deeper meaning from them.
Since these AG books are intended for little girls, it's probably okay for them to be "normal" reading without any depth. I think AG is trying, through this series, to show girls how alike they are to girls of different states and races. I've just decided that, as an adult, the series doesn't have any "fun value" for me!
<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ January 08, 2005 03:11 PM: Message edited by: Melissa ]</font>
thanks for the review, Jec. I trust your judgement. You said I would hate Kailey's book and I did and you said I would like Lindsey's and I did so I will probably not like this one but even so I wil track it down and read it.
Everyone read Lindsey! It is very cute and she is an appealing character. In fact, she reminded me a lot of our own Nellie Girl [img]wink.gif[/img] (Iguana in the tree bit!)
I promise you it was not a backlash.Once you get to know me you will see that's really not my style Just another view point. I am just a super senstive parent when it come to my children. Actually something I really need to work on. I am sure if your parent you would undersand!
Unfortunally like I said I have heard parents use it in the wrong way.
Maybe very immature would be a good word
Thank- you again
YES I agree we do need a pat on our back. I wanted to add we donot know why Morgan was born this way. We know he has his own syndrome. Which is good because of the gentic implications for the future.
We call it Morgan's symdrome!
Just wanted to chime in and say God bless all of you who care for your mentally and physically challenged family. My uncle has been both severely mentally and physically challenged since he had several childhood illnesses all at once, including polio, that left him unable to walk and stand and at the mental level of a ten-year old. He also has epilepsy and so has seizures. My grandmother has devoted her entire life to his care, and it broke her heart when she had to find a group home for him last year as she is now too frail to lift him. We tried home care, but we couldn't find someone that was reliable and affordable. He actually is having a great time in the home with the other "kids," as he calls them, and he says the "girls" love him. He is a complete sweetheart and has always had such a childlike faith in God. As you guys know, I'm sure, the mentally challenged can be great inspiration for a simple and joyful life- at least that is what I learned from my uncle.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Different cultures have different idioms, and often times they will sound strange to a speaker of a different language.I wonder if it reads better in spanish? Maybe the pony thing is a catch pfraze for them? Myabe the fact that her father is flexible is another cultural thing. Wasn't he suppose to be a writer for spanish childrens books?
For example, in my Language arts book, there is a passage of a book. There is one passage in Spanish and the other in English. When the author wrote the story, she wrote it in English first and called it "A smart cookie." When she translated it into Spanish she knew that to a Spanish speaker that would simply mean "inteligent pastry" so she changed it to the Spanish equlivent, Bien ?guila, or "Good eagle"
<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ January 08, 2005 12:44 PM: Message edited by: Felicity+Addyfan ]</font>
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