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(petty quibble: one of the weird grammatical quirks I really loathe is the use of "baby" as a singular proper noun. "For the baby's brain..." or "For a baby's

(petty quibble: one of the weird grammatical quirks I really loathe is the use of "baby" as a singular proper noun. "For the baby's brain..." or "For a baby's brain.." are both perfectly fine ways to start a sentence, but the article-dropping form is everywhere on parent blogs and it drives me up the wall in ways I had not expected. ) That aside: I've increasingly come to understand the urgent need for public libraries for young families. The children's room in your average US public library is probably the most used and most important room in the building, just as a way to provide everyone with access to diverse reading material -- both for your child's sanity, and your own.

dang 9y ago
Have an 'a'. Annoyance reduction at your service.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
HorizonXP 9y ago
I think public libraries are the single best investment any municipality can make in its children. I frequented mine very often from age 4 to 12, dropping off due to advent of the Internet. Even then, I was there often enough through high school. It’s the best way to ensure free and open access to information.
- sandos 9y ago
  I frequently loaned books abount electronics and programming when I was 10-15 years old, and I try to take my kids to the library every now and then. I worry libraries will barely exist when they are 15 but the libraries seem popular, at least with smaller kids where I live.
Terr_ 9y ago
It's not that weird, people are just following the same grammatical pattern that is coming accepted for parental words like "mother" or "father". The noun becomes a contextual nickname or way to address them. Compare: For baby's brain, do X. For mommy's sanity, do Y.
- inanutshellus 9y ago
  GP has a point and the examples you provided are not equivalent, as "Mommy" is a nickname given to every mother, but a child is not nicknamed "Baby" unless, well, Patrick Swayze is ready for the catch. So it's: "For [a] baby's brain, do X" and "For Mommy's sanity, do Y." or "For a mother's sanity, do Y."
  - sanderjd 9y ago
    > "Mommy" is a nickname given to every mother, but a child is not nicknamed "Baby" I think this is what you're missing: "baby" is indeed becoming / has become just such a nickname. It is used the same as "mommy" (or more often in my experience, "mama") by most folks involved in pre- and postnatal care. I don't think it is actually shorthand for "a baby" or "the baby", but rather for "your baby" (that is: it is more intimate). It's just stylistic (like all slang).
- anigbrowl 9y ago
  Sure, but that's a particular kind of fake intimacy that's almost exclusively used by marketers and prescriptivists. Hardly anyone talks that way in normal conversation.

dang 9y ago

Have an 'a'. Annoyance reduction at your service.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

HorizonXP 9y ago

I think public libraries are the single best investment any municipality can make in its children. I frequented mine very often from age 4 to 12, dropping off due to advent of the Internet. Even then, I was there often enough through high school. It’s the best way to ensure free and open access to information.

sandos 9y ago
I frequently loaned books abount electronics and programming when I was 10-15 years old, and I try to take my kids to the library every now and then. I worry libraries will barely exist when they are 15 but the libraries seem popular, at least with smaller kids where I live.

Terr_ 9y ago

It's not that weird, people are just following the same grammatical pattern that is coming accepted for parental words like "mother" or "father". The noun becomes a contextual nickname or way to address them. Compare: For baby's brain, do X. For mommy's sanity, do Y.

inanutshellus 9y ago
GP has a point and the examples you provided are not equivalent, as "Mommy" is a nickname given to every mother, but a child is not nicknamed "Baby" unless, well, Patrick Swayze is ready for the catch. So it's: "For [a] baby's brain, do X" and "For Mommy's sanity, do Y." or "For a mother's sanity, do Y."
- sanderjd 9y ago
  > "Mommy" is a nickname given to every mother, but a child is not nicknamed "Baby" I think this is what you're missing: "baby" is indeed becoming / has become just such a nickname. It is used the same as "mommy" (or more often in my experience, "mama") by most folks involved in pre- and postnatal care. I don't think it is actually shorthand for "a baby" or "the baby", but rather for "your baby" (that is: it is more intimate). It's just stylistic (like all slang).
anigbrowl 9y ago
Sure, but that's a particular kind of fake intimacy that's almost exclusively used by marketers and prescriptivists. Hardly anyone talks that way in normal conversation.