The Parenting Breakthrough — by Guest Mom Kacy Faulconer
I like to read lots of parenting books because I lack confidence in my own instincts. They don’t always help. This year I gave my students copies of articles about getting your baby to sleep from Dr. Sears and Babywise to show them how to do research to solve a real problem. They were flabbergasted. “These articles tell you to do the exact opposite thing!” So I got to give them my spiel about evaluating evidence and thinking critically blah blah blah. But frankly, I’ve slept with my babies and let them cry it out with little success either way.
The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack has been pretty helpful to me. Her approach is to systematically teach your kids everything they need to know to be adults. It makes a lot of sense and I think it’s great.
I know that serving others makes you love them but I already love my kids. I wouldn’t mind fewer opportunities to serve them. But sometimes when I say “get it/make it/pour it/fix it/start it/do it” yourself I worry that I’m lazy and uncaring. With Boyack’s approach, I can rest assured that I’m implementing a sound parenting philosophy. Check it out—your 3 year old will be making his own ketchup and cheese sandwiches in no time!
Find it here.
The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack has been pretty helpful to me. Her approach is to systematically teach your kids everything they need to know to be adults. It makes a lot of sense and I think it’s great.
I know that serving others makes you love them but I already love my kids. I wouldn’t mind fewer opportunities to serve them. But sometimes when I say “get it/make it/pour it/fix it/start it/do it” yourself I worry that I’m lazy and uncaring. With Boyack’s approach, I can rest assured that I’m implementing a sound parenting philosophy. Check it out—your 3 year old will be making his own ketchup and cheese sandwiches in no time!
Find it here.
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Tuesday, December 05, 2006
4 Comments:
I heartily agree with the theory to teach kids life skills. There is great catalog and website called forsmallhands.com. It has lots of small household cleaning, cooking, and gardening tools for children. I think it makes it kind of special and fun for kids to have their own tools.
I love that idea. I'm going to check it out.
When my mother was visiting after my 5th baby (to prevent me from committing myself to the insane assylum) she taught my boys her new "rule" : don't do anything for your grandchildren (or children) that they can do themselves. So now when they ask me to help them find their shoes or clean up the milk they just spilled, I say "Oh, I can't break Grandma's rule" - I love it!
Teaching children to do things for themselves is 100% common sense. Adults whose mothers did everything for them are not pleasant, happy people. Of course, you follow up the child's independent efforts with your congratulations and gratitude. Be careful that the task isn't impossible in order to avoid frustration, and be prepared to accept less than perfect results. They feel good about themselves when they can do things themselves.
Caution: Be careful that one or two of the older children don't become the DOERS, while the third child becomes the spoiled, helpless princess.
--Grandma
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