Spoiling Ukrainian kids

[LatinSwede]

Ever since we got seriou in our relationship, I've grown attached to her nephew and niece.  For one thing, they sure get a good share of those chocolate boxes I send her.  Even during my trips, I'm always bringing lot of candy which dwindles within a week after I'm gone.  As well I'm always delivering them a little grab bag of small toys, comics, and other fun stuff.  The boy and I clicked really well.  He like cars, Marvel Heros, and all the action adventure stuff for boys.  It's like I'm reliving my boyhood through him at times.  The good thing is they appreciate everything I give them, and haven't requested an X Box or anyt outrageous requests.  The comics I give him are thick mainly re-issues of older Marvel stuff I buy for traveling.  I fear boredom on longflights and layover in the terminals.  Buy the time I make it to the other end, I'm just about done reading through them.  So my superhero action adventures get passed on little tough guy.  First one I gave him was a nick thick one 70's Star Wars comics.  He shows these off to his friends at school.  His favorite is Spiderman.  He took acouple bags of my candy school to pass around.  He's been rather popular with the other kids latley. 

The girl gets little dollies from me, and other feminine nicknacks I guess.  A while back she got nice Girliee Tees(via Hot Topic), that was meant for my sweetheart.  My girlfreind did not quite understand the US fashions I guess.  Girlie Tees are sleeveless and smaller than regular T-shirts, just for the female frame.  These were size large girlie tees.  A couple days later, I asked if she tried them on.  She said "oh no! They are too small, I gave them to my niece".  Another footnote in our initial cultural misunderstandings.  Her niece thought she was at the height of fashion though.  As well shes had a good share of sugar rushes, no thanks to me.

[Elen]

A question from one who knows nothing in that life because she never has been in America :?

Did Americans use to read something else except commics?
If yes then how did your parents manage to accustom to do that with such an ocean of commics around you?

[Admin]

A question from one who knows nothing in that life because she never has been in America :?

Did Americans use to read something else except commics?
If yes then how did your parents manage to accustom to do that with such an ocean of commics around you?

Elen,

Is the first part of your question sincere? Do you REALLY want to know - or do you REALLY have questions about - whether or not Americans (more than 200 million of us, BTW) were exposed to reading materials OTHER than comic books?

- Dan

[BC]

RW sarcasm? LOL

My take is that reading 'real' books seems a lot more popular FSU than other countries.

PMS is not a big problem here but all hell breaks loose if she runs out of books to read.

[Bruno]

There is another comics tradition in Moscow-it is represented by several people engaged in contemporary art and literature. Georgy Litichevsky has been active in the comics field for at least 15 years. His work now regularly appears in Khudozhestvenny Zhurnal and other magazines and deal with different topics-from art to eroticism, his writing is no less interesting than his drawing. Another cartoonist along these lines is Ilia Kitup, who published his strips in the newspapers Business for Teens and Nochnoye Nebo. In 1993-94 he published Kitup's Own PROPELLER Comics Monthly (approximately 100 copies on risograph, in English) filled mainly with his own work. Litichevsky took part in the publication as well as Daniel Filippov, the youngest and probably the most talented of them. All three had publications in the West, the latter having won a prize.

[LatinSwede]

Well, I do like 19 Century novels.  I'm still in the middle of Brother Karamzov.  Ofcourse plenty of sci-fi/fantasy novels.  Then there is the daily paper.  We got 3 big chains of large bookstores like Barnes & Nobles, Books A Million, and Borders.  So a good lot of us do read.   

[Elen]

Ok I "translate" you my question

I ( who was born in the USSR ) think that commics are just real "poison" for morden kids who have troubles with reading due to an ocean of TV in addition

 Yes there are commics in Russia at least they did exist here when my own child was under 7( though I didn't remeber them from my "poor" soviet childhood)
But however those commics would be popular among kids they were just under a taboo in our own family - there are enough real leterature to waste time on commics. That was owr "dictator's" way to deal with commics
 And I was rather seriouse when I asked how you solve that problem ( and if do you see that as a problema at all) with imparting a habit to read real books to your children ( if you buy them commics)

Am I clear this time ?


PS to Dan
Try to find by yourself a statistic how many of your ( american)  teenagers read something else except commics and how many in America can't read at all

[Bruno]

Try to find by yourself a statistic how many of your ( american) teenagers read something else except commics and how many in America can't read at all

% of population over 15 yo who is able to read and write one of the national language...

Ukraine : 99.7%

Russia : 99.6%

UK : 99%

Belgium : 98%

USA : 97%

Now, the low result of USA can be explain partially by the fact of the big latino community... several new immigrant don't master english language...

 

[catzenmouse]

It's not just reading here. Ever listen to the "average" person speak? Much of the general population cannot even pronounce the basic English language. This (IMO) is to be blamed on two major sources. 1) Parents 2) Substandard education in the public school system - which comes from substandard funding of these school systems.

<OffTopicOn>
If we would spend more money on teachers and schools and less on these pet projects that only serve to keep a policician in office that our government adds to the spending packages we would actually be a highly educated society.
</OffTopicOn>

Ken

[LatinSwede]

Thanks for reminding me why I want my kids homeschooled.  My future kids will never attend one day in the public sewage(School) system.

[LatinSwede]

As for comics being poison, it's just a matter of opinion.  Unlike staring at a TV screen, at least he's reading words.  It's just a form of entertainment, that just like Video games and TV, needs to be moderated.  My Ukrainian lady's nephew actually does very well in school.  They have rigid times set aside for study and leisure.  I've always viewed comics as just a really neat artform.  I think It's more interesting to look at pictures of X-Men or Spaceships in action.  Boys generally like adventure stories, so this is a good way to let their minds wonder.  My dad encouraged comics when I was a kid.  That did not stop me from picking up Dostoevky 's Brother Karamozov or Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's cabin.  Over here, I can actually get educational comics and video games.  My special 'kid brother' in Ukraine would probably be happy to learn mathemetics and reading with Spiderman.

Valentines day is around the corner.  Time to get her a rose and a box of chocolates.  She'll cherish the rose, while the kids devour the chocolates.

 

[Daknack]

I read tons of comics when I was a boy Helen.  But I also read everything else.  Contrary to what you might think, depending on the comic, some of the stories can be rather complex, as well as having some extensive and higher end vocabulary.  When I was a small boy I learned several words that I would never have been exposed to otherwise.  Like any form of entertainment (including books) parents need to read and inspect the material.  I also agree that public schools are crap.  And thats from someone working in the system.  Too many liberals have destroyed our education system.