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Aiming for Pentalingual

I read a fascinating article titled Science Question from a Toddler: Life Before Birth last week. I highly recommend the full article for any new/expectant mothers; heck, it's a good read in general even if you're not into this stuff! The reason I bring up this article is due to a particular passage: Newborns prefer their mother's voice over anyone else's (even dad's). They prefer hearing phrases from books they were read while in the womb, compared to new stories. They're even already favoring one language over another. "Babies prefer the sound of their mother's native language to others," Moon said. "Interestingly, they can distinguish between languages in the same rhythmic class, like Spanish versus English. But they can't tell the difference between...

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Crunchy vs. Silky

I have found that pregnancy and mothering boards can be some of the most heated on the web. Everyone has different parenting styles, and they all seem to think that their way is the best. They fight tooth and nail to prove their point, and soon the debates become nothing short of nasty catfights. There are, of course, topics that repeated garner much dissension among new/expectant mothers and we are labeled as one of two categories depending on what we choose: Crunchy Silky - gives birth at home - gives birth at hospital - plans for a natural birth (no meds) - is pro-medication (epidural, labor-inducing drugs, etc.) - prefers midwives - prefers doctors - eats placenta - is grossed out by the idea of eating placenta - breastfeeds (often for prolonged periods...

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