Very true. When I was a kid, my mother insisted we read a certain amount to be able to watch TV. She also had us listen to tapes that taught new vocabulary words and how to remember them whenever we were in the car. As a kid I thought it was all very annoying, but as an adult those things have paid off. Also, I am a voracious reader to this day.

We were middle class, but like you said there is a great value in parents who invest time in their kids. It shouldn't be a bad thing to say the ideal environment for a child is with a loving mother and father.