Feelings are difficult. My own feelings are difficult enough. But when I started working in childcare I suddenly became responsible for helping little, emotionally immature people handle their massive emotions. And that was way, way more difficult. It is quite a trick to maintain composure when a intense ball of rage trapped in a 2-year-old … Continue reading “Dealing with Feelings”
Tag: Child Development Theories
Parenting on Purpose
Parenting is difficult. Teaching children is difficult. And our society makes it so much more difficult than it needs to be. Parents and caregivers use wildly different methods, philosophies, styles, and systems. Many of these parenting methods flatly oppose one another. It is not possible to make parenting or childcare choices that fit everyone’s … Continue reading “Parenting on Purpose”
Whatever She Wants
We are raising Cat according to a fairly unique set of parenting philosophies. We give her what many feel is an insane amount of freedom. She does not attend school, and never will unless she chooses to. Her education consists of ‘unschooling’, meaning that academic work is not required at any time. Any and all … Continue reading “Whatever She Wants”
The Stages of Exploration and Discovery
Manipulation, Mastery and Meaning – identifiable and predictable stages of the learning process I learned about these stages, sometimes referred to as ‘the 3-M’s of self discovery’ while studying education in college, and they are such an accurate way to describe child behavior that they immediately became part of my regular vocabulary. To my knowledge … Continue reading “The Stages of Exploration and Discovery”