My baby boy was born almost two and a half years ago.
I am an extremely proud parent.
I have read to my boy every night since he was born. That practice literally started in the hospital his first night with us.
I have cut back on hours at work so I am present in his life. My father was an amazing man but was never really around. He worked all of the time to provide for us. I have said for some time that I'm going to do it different.
My boy has been reciting his ABC's since he was one and can count to one hundred. He spells(pointing to words in books) and counts when asked.
He hits thrown balls and has a really impressive baseball swing. He kind of stinks at catching but he does catch the ball.
He sees family every single weekend.
He is in a good daycare that has done an amazing job at fostering his growth.
He has been hiking in the mountains and "swimming" in the ocean. He can hold his breath underwater but I still haven't let go of him. 
His vocabulary is just exploding. He uses sentences to say what he wants. He says please, thank you, and you're welcome.
He has been to museums, sporting events, aquariums.... you name it.
So why am I telling you about my obvious privilege? I just read some things about children at detention facilities that were around my sons age. The children seen had no vocabulary, had not mastered walking, and were being cared for by other children, for the most part. I'm telling you because it left my privileged ass in tears. Literally. Yeah, another sign of my privilege. I get to read about this stuff and then rant on a message board.
This isn't just a child detention camp issue. It's so much deeper. It's societal. From beginning to end. From our punitive justice system that removes too many parents from their children to the erosion of our public school system. From lack of access to parental healthcare to a system of capitalism that isn't regulated enough. The children are the innocent who pay an extreme price.
The haves and have nots.
We do not have equal opportunity. Our children do not have equal opportunity.
As some children are more advanced than mine at this stage, other children don't stand a chance at advancement in their current environment. They simply have no access to opportunity. They have no access to proper learning channels. They can't fight for opportunity. That is up to us.
While we have to keep the pressure up and also elect the right people, this is clearly up to us. We can't rest. We live in a representative republic. Pick your representatives wisely and then hold their feet to the fire. Support local groups who help children with issues at home. Often those issues are the makings of society and not of the parents themselves.
No child left behind? Fuck. We will leave them in cages. We take their parents from them and imprison them for non-violent crimes. We will put them in failing schools. We will ask their parents to work fifty plus hours per week and then not give them affordable access to quality child care or after school programs.
I just wanted to start typing after I read about some of these children. I had thoughts for an op planned but quickly went off track. Not sure how it reads and don't really care. I'm upset. I rarely find myself upset. I guess that's it. I want these children to have the same opportunity as my child, at a minimum. Rant over.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I look back and cherish the hours they sat in my lap as I read to them, remembering the first time their pudgy little hands could turn the pages for me, wanting me to read the same book over and over and over again!
My oldest son was a very early reader, basically taught himself to read before kindergarten. Books have always given him so much joy. My youngest was more into numbers and was drawn to non-fiction; he just graduated from college with a physics degree.
You can't go wrong with early, consistent reading. Let the kids tell you where they want to go and help them get there.
