Baby Einstein or not?

The New York Times reported of the major recall of the Disney DVD – Baby Einstein videos which mainly promoted babies to turn around into Nobel prize winners as they watched these shows. Of course there has always been a controversy around showing TV for infants, with most doctors recommending no TV for children under 2 and just moderate activity for toddlers.

No TV until 2 is probably a lot easier rule to implement when you have just one baby in the house. But what if you have 2 kids of varying age or if you have cousins and friends who come over to your house frequently and they are entrenched in High School Musicals and Hannah Montana’s of the world? It’s much easier to comfort ourselves and buy the so-called educational videos to entertain the fussy kid or let them watch a little tele as we feed them greens. Seems like a “a little” trade-off. Well apparently so, as “according to a 2003 study, a third of all American babies from 6 months to 2 years old had at least one “Baby Einstein” video”.

So did each of the parents who bought (gifted/borrowed) such a DVD truly believe that there kids would become instant genius by watching the DVDs – no I don’t think so. Nor do I think that each of the parent who bought a video ended up letting their kids watching TV 24/7. Unfortunately, some trade offs were obviously made. Be it an educational video, a cartoon or a nursery rhyme we all have introduced TV and with it a whole slew of known corrupt products into our child’s life, and there is no going back. You can limit, set rules and possibly add other activities to off-set the idiot box influence but unless you are willing to go back to cave man mode can the genie be put back into the bottle?

I have to admit our no TV initiative of two years is now dead and gone, as Kochunni started watching some you tube songs around 2 years of age and slowly over the last year has extended to half hour TV shows for his meal times – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course when we are traveling or he is at daycare there is no TV and he manages well. Our own TV time has generally reduced to the after hours (when the little guy has gone to bed) and amazingly enough the addiction to mind-numbing programs was very easy to turn off. We don't have a Wii nor play the Playstation these days (who has the time) but he sees us using the computer. My dad was studying for his drivers license online and Kochunni enjoys sitting in his lap watching the pictures of cars and road signs. How much of it all is harmful? That is the million dollar question. At our friends house they have their 6 year old to firmly believe that cable TV only works on Friday and over the weekend. So of course Fridays are a late night, and weekend is full of PBS shows when they are home. How soon will she figure out the 'lie' is anybody's guess.

Am I running around in circle here? Possibly. I am not sure if no TV solves the problem either. Children have a way of finding out. Kochunni says he wants to be Spider-man for Halloween, and I was surprised because he has never seen a video or a cartoon about it. But when I showed him a picture he recognized it. So where does that leave us as a parent?

Seems like I have a lot more questions than answers, but that is parenting, isn't it? So with all said and done, here's my two cents, keep trying folks! Try to maintain that balance of imaginative play and mind-numbing programs. All the best!

PS: So what if you did buy an Einstein video, here’s a way to get a refund. :)

Siena & Pisa

Siena

A quaint little town tucked away on the hills - that was my first impression as I stepped down from the bus. Our hotel was located a few blocks away from the main town square - Il Campo. The city could be a coin toss between - a smokers paradise or a pedestrian heaven.

The air is tainted with smoke every corner you turn becoming the one drawback from a non-smokers perceptive. While the city having limits on car and bus allowed into the main city (downtown) area the locals seem to have built a rather healthy way of life. It even made me wonder how the world would be if most overpopulated cities would have similar regulations - not only giving way to a healthy set of people but giving back to the earth, what we have taken for granted for centuries.

Piazza del Campo (Il Campo) or the town square is a large area for townsfolk to meet and greet - a park in disguise. Today the four corners are streamlined with restaurants though I wonder how it would have been say a 100 years ago. The city being small compared to Rome, it seems natural that the locals know each other rather well. The town square was filled with kids playing ball or running to catch the pigeons, an older generation sitting along the side laughing and talking. It was a rather relaxing part of the trip. We enjoyed the evening hours until it was time to head back and find some food. (But the story of the food would have to wait for another post).

The next day, we went to the Duomo (Cathedral) and the nearby museum. The museum houses some of the famous paintings of Madonna and Child as well as the original stained glass window that was originally housed behind the altar inside the Duomo. The main attractions for us was the climb up to the museum top for a great view of the city. The tiled streets, the two-three story houses laid out below was a great sight. Of course for Kochunni the big attraction was the large cranes (Cranky from Thomas series) that were hard at restoration work.

The Church housed some great paintings inside the Piccolomini Library that were so 3-D like that it felt like we were looking thorough a window rather than into a painting. It also has a rather unknown piece of St Peter by Michelangelo. The floor of the Church is lined by mosaics covering the whole floor of the cathedral. The last but not the least is the amazing sculptures by Bernini - St. Jerome playing the crucifix like a violinist lost in beautiful music, and one of Mary Magdalene immersed in her faith of the Lord.

After afternoon lunch we went back to get some rest (gelato + nap). In the evening we went back to Il Campo and browsed the local boutique shops for souvenirs, bags and local antiques.

Final word: Overall Siena turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. It turned out to be the highlight of the trip - a must see place for any Italy traveler for great food, quaint township, good folks and some high-end shopping.

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Pisa

Out next stop was Pisa - a day trip on our way to Florance. Pisa seems like a city that sprouted to support its famous attraction - the bell tower that leaned. Its noisy, dusty - a stark contrast to Siena.

Of course the main reason for the pit-stop was the famous tower, and the famous sights - the Duomo, Baptistery, and the Leaning Tower - are housed inside the Field Of Miracles. As it turns out, we enjoyed the Baptistery were the structure built gives way to great acoustics. In olden days, the priest could sing haunting harmonies with himself, due to the echoes that are created. Today every 15 minutes the guard sings the chord, in remembrance of the bygone era.

Since you have to be eight years old to climb the tower, Kochunni and I sat by the Duomo while husband took the flight of stairs to see the town of Pisa from above.

Probably, we did not give the full justice to the town of Pisa as we headed back to the train station soon after to head out to Florance.

Final word: Seeing one of the seven wonders of the world is the obvious highlight of this trip. So if you are traveling to Siena or Florance, take the easy day trip via Rail Euro and cross off one, out of the seven wonders!

Rome

Its been a while since I used paper and pen to jot down memories. But being in a town square of Siena where everyone walks & seems to know everyone, this seems a logical choice.

Yes I am in Siena - on a week trip to Italy. Our first stop was Rome - the old town. Rome was what one expected - a city built around the ruins and grandeur of the past. It seems like the bygone generation wanted to stand the test of time by building large scale arenas and churches. The pride that locals justly feel towards these monuments overshadows their capacity for providing help to tourists. It seems the locals have no idea where they are themselves or lack common courtesy. But without this one drawback our first stop on the Italy tour turned out to be lesson in history and art.

The Colosseum even with only 1/4th of what once was, stands as a magnificent piece of architecture. The grandeur having outlived its people, it stands boldly challenging us. Of course this stadium has gone down in history for the cruelty that was instituted via the battles between man and animal, but the enginering skill of the people is unmistakable. The center is laid out with many tunnels that would have been underground for people to do all the backstage activities while the whole stadium could seat thousands of people.

Our next stop was the Pantheon - a wonderfully well-preserved structure that stood the test of time due to the fact that it was consecrated as a church. It also stands as a tomb to Renaissance painter Raphael and other kings of Italy. The square surrounding the Pantheon has a wonderful vibe around it with cafes and shops surrounding the square. It almost feels like a college campus!

As jet lag finally hit us we decided to cut short our tour of Rome. So the next day we took the trip to Vatican city - a sovereign city inside Rome. We decided to see St. Peter's Basilica - one of the largest churches in the world. As I stepped into St. Peter's Basilica, Michaelangelo's Pieta stood out in all its glory. Even though one might have seen the image a million times; seeing the artist's (one) masterpiece especially up close (behind the bullet proof glass, sadly) has a greater effect. The largest church seems like the rightful place for this wonderful work of art.

The building is truly a magnificent piece of art and architecture that holds the tomb of St. Peter - according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome. It also houses the bronze statue of Saint Peter, with a very kissable toe that stands out, Bernini's star burst doe at the center and his bronze canopy.

The dome is a huge, magnificent work and as one looks up to the heaven one can only gasp at the infinite possibilities in life and the little time one is presented with. It made me think of the people who actually were able to live their dream, while the thousands who go unnoticed throughout their lifetime and beyond.


Overall Rome reminded me of an old town, the transportation mainly the buses are well connected and very frequent. Of course, they are crowded and one needs to worry about being pick-pocketed but overall the frequent services helped us. Taxis are expensive, of course locals seems to prefer the two-wheelers over anything else. The people are not the friendliest but I guess tourists forever asking them routes and directions would be distracting to anyone. September was a great time to visit weather-wise though we encountered a little drizzle and ended up buying two umbrellas - one of which broke within two rounds of opening and closing!

Final word: Rome is must for history buffs who can enjoy with the crowds and for those who are not interested in history just think about this as a city that contributed to the world some of the finest pieces of art and architecture . A definite must if you travel to Italy.

The Vacation

Being miles away from home, we traditionally save our holidays for the one big trip home. Of course, with such a trip means traveling miles within a span of weeks. Its an ordeal and a vacation rolled into one. After all meeting your college buddies, getting home made food is fun part of the trip, while planning to meet everyone and yet coming back realizing that we did not get enough time with family turns out to be a sad reality of every trip home.

And so planning a vacation - a true vacation - not meeting friends or family - but traveling - doing the thing that all tourists do was a major undertake at the Kochunni household. So after months of deliberation we decided to take an Europe trip. To be more specific an eight day trip to Italy. The next couple of posts are ones I wrote (yes actually wrote down) while in Italy that I am finally posting online. Why did it such a time to post them back online because oh, hmm, well, with all these years of typing away on a computer - the art of decent handwriting seems to have weathered away (rather sadly) to a state of non-existence! Therefore it took some time and effort to re-read my own handwriting! Anyway, hope you enjoy the ride with me ...