Sorry I’ve been away for a bit, but life got very busy (smile). My daughter started public school kindergarten—institutionalized schooling—and one of the things I’ve been doing is learning how to work with a bureaucracy. As I’ve gone through this process, I truly understand why parents choose to home school, unschool, etc. I’m trying to apprehend the ways my little ones peer group impacts her and if those impacts are permanent.The first week she came home speaking baby-talk—an infantile step back for a child whose speech patterns were good for her age. I made the decision to understand by talking with my daughter about where the influence was coming (some of the other 5 year olds use baby-talk). At first she took the position that she wasn’t sure. Then she thought it over briefly and, with a giggle, said some of the other children speak that way.(I did have the opportunity to chaperone her class and was able to observe that there were a few children that used baby-talk.)The second week she started to use an attitude of “I don’t feel like trying,” when it came to doing subjects she always did with a positive attitude. We’re working through this one.And so it goes.There are many things that I don’t think public school does well.But, I’m starting to see that in the area of peer influence, the fact that my little one keeps trying out “new” modes of communication may have a positive side. That positive side is that if I’m diligent in my observations and figure out a way to work with my daughter to continue refining her sensibility when she brings home “infantile” actions/attitudes, we may actually limit and reroute them now instead of later.But, in my more somber moments I do continue to ask myself, what’s the benefit to my little one? all content The New Parent © 2008