One Better Baby is all grown up and preparing to teach her baby

For the last twenty years, the second generation of “better babies” has been arriving at The Institutes preparing to progress from student to teacher. Florencia with her husband Alejandro, attended the How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence course to prepare for the birth of their first child.

Florencia and Alejandro preparing for the birth of their first child.

Florencia’s mother attended the course when her daughter was young, and the happy memories of learning side-by-side with her mother are still vivid.

She writes, “I remember my mother teaching me how to read with the red words. Somehow, even though I was little, I remember the word “mamá” written in bright red color. We used to sit on the floor, with no shoes and no distractions, and start the reading words.” Her home program also included the Dot Cards and learning basic math operations with them.

“I used to think my mom was kind of an encyclopedia”

“I also remember going through the Bits of Intelligence. What I enjoyed the most was the Organs of the Body set. My mom translated the information on the back of the Bit (into Spanish) and typed it in red on a yellow sheet of paper. I used to think my mom was kind of an encyclopedia until I found out about the written information,” she recalls with a smile.

Dressed to learn and move.

Florencia also enjoyed an active physical program. “We used to play on the floor, crawling and moving around the big bedroom in which I had lots of pillows to take naps, so I rarely used my crib. When I found myself in the crib, I always found a way out because I enjoyed the freedom of the floor. I also started ballet lessons at 3 years old and since then I love dancing. We also started swimming lessons at 3 years old in a public pool near our home. We went walking and I really liked to spend time in the water.”

Florencia played tennis with both parents.

“My father explained to me everything that was happening before we went to the theater. I guess I am now an art and music enthusiast thanks to him.” 

Her father was a huge influence on her music program. “My parents took me to a famous music school in Mexico City where I learned to play the violin and the piano. My dad is a classical music enthusiast, so we used to listen to some classical pieces and he taught me who the composer was, what it was called, the instruments that played in the orchestra, etc. When we had the opportunity to go to the theater, he explained to me everything that was happening before the show. I guess I am now an art and music enthusiast thanks to him.” 

She enjoyed playing piano and performing at recitals.

“The results showed that I was very advanced for a child my age, I belonged to an elementary school group instead of a kindergarden class.”

Florencia reports one lingelong term result of the home program is that she has a great memory, which was shown throughout school and life. When she turned 4, it was time to go to school. “Since Mexico doesn´t allow home schooling, my parents found one of the best schools in the city. The results of my application showed that I was very advanced for a child my age, that according to my knowledge I belonged to an elementary school group instead of a kindergarden class. Nevertheless, the school’s policy didn’t allow that so I would have to start school in a grade according to my age, not my knowledge.”

“I understood that what I was going to learn at school wasn’t exactly what I thought.”

She succeeded despite some challenges. One memorable occasion was when the students were told to draw a heart. “When I was finished drawing, I went to the teacher with my ‘masterpiece’ done, obviously proud of it. She turned to me and with a concerned face and said: Oh, this is not a heart. So I answered: Yes it is. And she insisted: no, it is not. So I had to explain the anatomy of the heart, pointing at the valves, arteries and veins. I was about to finish when she said: ‘Oh, yes, well I understand that is a heart but it is not what you were supposed to draw.’ Another kid arrived showing the drawing and she pointed at it saying ‘that is the heart you were supposed to draw.’ That was one of the moments that marked my school life, and I understood that what I was going to learn at school wasn’t exactly what I thought.”

“When I started kindergarten I could read, write, add and subtract…skills that were to be learned during the first years of elementary school.”

“I was able to write and draw with both hands and I used to change my pencil or color from one hand to another when I got tired. One day, my teacher saw me doing that and stopped me, she took the pencil and put it in my right hand and said: ‘You can only use one hand; use the right one.’ I didn’t understand but I obeyed. Now I write with the right but am skillfull with both to do different things in daily life.”

She also remembers standing out from the crowd with her healthy and interesting lunches that the other students considered strange, and her eagerness to perform at her piano recital when all the other students were nervous and apprehensive.

“The big question asked by my friends or classmates: ‘Why did you get an “A” if you didn’t study?’

However, she says, “The one thing that kept repeating over and over through my school years was the big question asked by my friends or classmates: ‘Why did you get an A if you didn’t study?’ I just used to answer ‘I don’t know’ because saying ‘because I pay attention in class  so I don’t have to study later’ was not the answer they were looking for. This still happened in law school! People don’t understand how can I memorize or learn something without studying hard.”

“In school I didn’t have to study, I just payed attention during class.”

“Today, when I remember my life at school I can say it was easy as to the learning process. I can see the impact or the influence it had in my life: I didn’t have to study, I just payed attention during class and knowledge was there, I could do several things at a time, I could use both hands and both feet to do whatever activity, I’ve had no problems learning languages, and I was skillful in some ways that my classmates weren’t.”

“Law School was a piece of cake.”

“Going through law school was a piece of cake. Just by paying attention, not missing class, and reading, I could get all A’s. Studying was never torture, was never hard, and I have always liked the process of being ignorant, acknowledging the fact of that ignorance, learning, and then enlightening myself with the new knowledge. Curiosity is still part of it.”

“I have no interest in competing, I just choose something I enjoy and try to do my best for my own satisfaction and growth.”

Florencia is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian. She enjoys playing piano, dancing ballet, playing tennis, swimming, and practicing yoga. “Some people think that I train to compete or study to compete, but it is exactly the opposite. I have no interest in competing, I just choose something I enjoy and try to do my best for my own satisfaction and growth.”

“I’m not sure if this is a result of the program but I’m a self-confident person. I can be alone without needing other people around even in social events, and I feel comfortable speaking to people of all ages. I consider myself to be independent and strong, I am an assertive person, and I tend to be straight and honest, sometimes too much for some people’s idea.”

At the course parents have a chance to plan as a team for the new baby

While preparing for their baby’s arrival, attending the How To Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence course as a couple allowed them to learn and plan as a team. Florencia writes, “We feel comfortable by having a general plan, which so far consists of:

1. Full-time mom! I love this part because my mom was also a full-time mother and results can be amazing. My job allows me to work at home and I believe that organization will be key for this to work.

2. Open spaces – We have a TV room that will be modified to be the baby’s playroom so we can creep, crawl, and play on the floor, and have our physical and music program.

3. Breastfeeding – Hopefully I’ll be able to breastfeed. We already have prepared a nursing corner in the baby’s room. Once we manage to have a feeding schedule and the baby grows up a bit, we’ll try to introduce different foods, working with textures, cooking time, etc. We want him to try a wide variety of food, just as my parents did with me, and get him involved in the process.

4. Sleeping time – We intend to have our baby sleep on a matress on the floor; we didn’t even buy a crib. We would like to set 7PM as bath time and put him to sleep right after being fed, with some relaxing music, in his own bed, in a completely dark bedroom. Hopefully we will set some good sleeping habits from the very beginning.

5. About the programs – we would like to start with baby steps so we can achieve goal by goal. First, the easiest: music. My dad is very much into the music program and is already working on a selection of classical music. Along with the music program comes the physical program: creeping and crawling. As soon as we feel comfortable with this, we’ll try to introduce Bits of Intelligence and a few Reading cards. We will move on as we see good results. I also intend to speak the 4 languages throughout the day from the moment of birth.”

After the course: “My husband now sees babies in a different way and has another idea about the relationship between parents and children.”

The course was an important week for the parents-to-be. Florencia explains, “Taking the course for parents is definitely a life-changing experience. My husband now sees babies in a different way and has another idea about the relationship between parents and children. He has seen the influence that the program has had in my life and is absolutely convinced that following the program with our own baby is the best gift we can give him. I’m happy to have the opportunity of getting as prepared as I can to be a mom so I can not only offer unconditional love and support to our son but also knowledge and skills to unleash his potential. I have the chance to share my own experience with our child and to relate to whatever he might experience in his life; that is something my parents couldn’t do because they didn’t grow up with the program.”

A course graduate and planning ahead.

“I think we are really lucky to be able to teach our child during his first years of life, providing him the skills and some knowledge that will change his life. We are blessed to be able to give him the chance of being different, more capable, and happy, by allowing him and encouraging him to develop his potential.”