March 18, 2009 7:48 AM
Can a 2 1/2 year old mop?
You bet he can!
Molly writes:
Our sense of worth, our dignity comes from the work we do. Children need to feel that they are an essential and active part of the family. We need to adjust our homes aesthetically to reflect their presence and we need to adjust the household chores so that they learn to serve during their sensitive period for service (see, for example, Teaching kids the art of sweeping).
If these are new concepts to you, please get your hands on a copy of The Mommy Manual (which is now out of print and I'm looking for a new publisher; in the meantime I have about 30 copies left and there are some at Amazon and libraries) or Mommy, Teach Me!
I promise you, these are both reader-friendly books that will truly impact the quality of life your children and your family enjoys (read the reviews at Amazon to see what others say - and please add your own if you have already read any of my books). They are the product of my taking my education as a Montessori teacher and 10 years of homeschooling and distilling the essential philosophy and a few practical helps into a format that can be easily used by mothers at home. They will give you some help without the guilt.
In the meantime, for those new here, just click on Categories above and browse around Montessori, Preschool, Toddlers, Homeschool and see what you come up with. Remember, you don't have to change everything at once. As Elisabeth Elliot says, each day take one thing you should be doing and start doing it; take one thing you shouldn't be doing and stop doing it (that includes beating yourself up for not being perfect!)
Here is the Mommy, Teach Me! album Molly referred to:
Barbara,I can't emphasize enough how important it is for mothers to create opportunities for their children to serve at home. While mothers of many are kind of forced into it at some point or other, mothers of only one or two who feel capable of taking care of everything themselves MUST - for their children's sake - learn to share the load and accept their children's less-than-perfect results.
Attached are some photos of my son Luke, age 2 1/2, for
your Montessori album. Luke received what he calls a "boy-sized" mop
for Christmas and was thrilled with it. (Instead of ordering a
specialty child-sized mop we just bought a regular wooden one and cut
the handle down.) He's a great mopper and is especially good at
reaching small spaces that I can't reach. I love both the
concentration he shows in his work and his sense of accomplishment. I
hope my future daughter-in-law appreciates it! :)
Our sense of worth, our dignity comes from the work we do. Children need to feel that they are an essential and active part of the family. We need to adjust our homes aesthetically to reflect their presence and we need to adjust the household chores so that they learn to serve during their sensitive period for service (see, for example, Teaching kids the art of sweeping).
If these are new concepts to you, please get your hands on a copy of The Mommy Manual (which is now out of print and I'm looking for a new publisher; in the meantime I have about 30 copies left and there are some at Amazon and libraries) or Mommy, Teach Me!
I promise you, these are both reader-friendly books that will truly impact the quality of life your children and your family enjoys (read the reviews at Amazon to see what others say - and please add your own if you have already read any of my books). They are the product of my taking my education as a Montessori teacher and 10 years of homeschooling and distilling the essential philosophy and a few practical helps into a format that can be easily used by mothers at home. They will give you some help without the guilt.
In the meantime, for those new here, just click on Categories above and browse around Montessori, Preschool, Toddlers, Homeschool and see what you come up with. Remember, you don't have to change everything at once. As Elisabeth Elliot says, each day take one thing you should be doing and start doing it; take one thing you shouldn't be doing and stop doing it (that includes beating yourself up for not being perfect!)
Here is the Mommy, Teach Me! album Molly referred to:
 |
| Mommy, Teach Me! |
I add pictures as they come in. The most recent is on the cover :) If you have a picture reflecting the Mommy, Teach Me! philosophy, please email it to me with a few words and I'll be sure to add it!
Love,
Posted in Homeschooling, Montessori, Mothering, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Permalink
