Dr. Moore quoted in Stars and Stripes!

In the March 2nd, 2002 issue of Stars and Stripes (US Department of Defense newspaper for overseas Military Services), Dr. Moore discusses the necessity of parents spending time with their children with reporter Ward Sanderson at the annual "mini conference" at the Child Development Center in Naples, Italy. Here's an excerpt:

By the looks of the swarm they made around him, the children took to Moore on sight. "OK guys, let's sit down a minute," he said. And without much fuss they did, and there's giggling and singing. He sings songs that help them identify something - find a boy, find your teeth. "If you're happy and you know it, rub your tummy - yummy, yummy!" The children don't need any coaxing to yell out the "Yummy! Yummy!"

No, it's not Mozart. But the children are hearing rhythms and rhymes and anticipating words and associating those words with things. Moore, also a musician, said parents need to spend more time with their children. He said a child will always remember Mom or Dad singing with them, and no high-tech distraction can replace that.

Parents are often too busy to bother, he said. "That's one of the reasons computer sales are up so high with young children. Parents think they can give them a head start…but a lot of times they aren't developing socially. A lot of times, parents are thinking, 'computers' when they don't even know who their children really are. …If you want your child to have an advantage, sing 'Rubber Ducky.'"

The key to getting a child's attention and respect takes work and even humility. Parents can't be authoritarian and remote, he said. "I can't impress kids with my degrees, I can't impress kids with where I've been," he said. "It's how I relate to them that's important."

Get on your knees with them, he advised. Talk. Play. Sing. "I'm so excited about this profession," Moore said, smiling. "It's often overlooked, what we do."

"We're the beginning. Whether it be a colonel or a president, there was someone who went on their knees with them."

(to view this entire article click on Stars & Stripes)