As a parent, it is often our unpleasant task to help our children navigate the social-emotional waters of Early Childhood. Behaviors during this time can range from calm and sweet to angry and explosive from one moment to the next. The reality for many of us is that we ourselves don’t quite feel up to the challenge of working with strong emotions. If, when the going gets tough, we can remember to ask ourselves a few questions to help bring understanding and awareness, we are better equipped to help our children.

Because parenting isn’t always pretty… sometimes the best we can do is just show up.

When you are a parent of young children, planning what you have in your home and making a commitment to natural and handmade playthings is time consuming until you get the hang of how simple it can be. With just a few small doable changes, you will ease the chaos, slow things down and discover that creating in your home with young children is both possible and enjoyable.

The Story of a man, his young son and a box truck.

Attachment Theory is the theory of human relationships.  Bringing our children close to us and holding them close keeps them from feeling the alarm of separation and ensures they can mature and develop freely into who they are meant to be.

Our Christmas isn’t big or full of presents (they each get one) but for me, it’s exactly what I want my children’s memories to be filled with. My hope is that from it, they carry love and warmth and light with them out of this season and into the next.

When a child is free to engage fully in true play, they are able to embody the fullness of every moment.

As parents we often feel like we need to repress our children’s completely natural urges, especially when we are in social situations. When children are playing, especially with others, we see them throw and grab and feel the need to prevent or manage the behavior, when in the end, what our child is doing is completely natural and developmentally appropriate.

Remember before having kids when the fall back time change meant an extra hour of much needed sleep? Unfortunately, our little ones’ internal clocks do not change just because the time on the clock changes.

The kitchen needs safe boundaries and children need to feel like they belong there.  As with all things developmental, young children need plenty of experience being around the kitchen to get the lay of the land, and they will of course copy all our behaviors as we navigate our individual relationships with food within our homes.  

There is a growing body of research that is paying closer attention to the phenomenon of our body’s reaction to nature. This effect, of feeling better when feeling connected to the natural world (whether it be experienced through a window, a video, a painting, or a walk), is called the biophilia theory. It’s a theory that suggests we have evolution to thank for our reason to seek out nature experiences.

Part of the research being compiled is coming out of the practice of shinrin-yoku in Japan. Shinrin-yoku is literally translated as Forest Bathing.

It is possible to create a secure attachment if you breastfeed or bottle feed, sleep train or co-sleep, stay at home with your children or go to work, or wear your baby or use a stroller. Don’t get caught up in rigid ways of doing things. Instead, find what helps you to delight in your child.

Over the years we have sung and said many blessings at our table. Saying or singing a blessing when you sit down together helps everyone to slow down and center before eating. It also fosters a deep sense of gratitude.

I recently revisited some of our favourite blessings and rewrote them to emphasize our gratitude in a secular and gender-neutral way.

Learning about social and personal identities begins in one’s family. However, messages from the larger society soon filter in and become a central influence. Crucial to supporting a child’s sense of identity is a willingness of important adults to examine their implicit and explicit attitudes and comments that positively or negatively influence belonging and the child’s blossoming sense of self.

The kitchen needs safe boundaries and children need to feel like they belong there.  As with all things developmental, young children need plenty of experience being around the kitchen to get the lay of the land, and they will of course copy all our behaviors as we navigate our individual relationships with food within our homes.  

Attachment Theory is the theory of human relationships.  Bringing our children close to us and holding them close keeps them from feeling the alarm of separation and ensures they can mature and develop freely into who they are meant to be.

I first began learning about Waldorf education when I attended my first session of Waldorf Parent Child Classes. At first, I didn’t know much other than what I had experienced in those classes and I wanted to learn more. I found that one common and confusing theme was Rhythm.  It was described as an ‘in-breath and an out-breath’ an ‘expansion and contraction’, but how could I create it in real life with a toddler?  

A mud kitchen is a place where being out in nature fuels a child’s imagination. Wet and dry sand in combination, even dirt and mud creates opportunities for different kinds of play. The sun on a rock can make a good stove top. Water that is fresh from a stream, collected rainwater or a puddle holds the interest of a young child. If water comes from inside the house, leave it out in the sunshine a bit to enliven the water. Just having the water outside will become interesting to the young child.

If you're a mom, most likely you are juggling caring for your child or children, your home, perhaps a spouse and as if this isn’t enough you may also be holding down a job outside of this work. And this is the short list! One question: where in this list is there time for taking care of yourself? Mamas, can you relate? What if I told you you can have it all including the time it takes to put yourself first on this list, allowing for more ease, peace, and joy in all the other areas? Now do I have your attention?  

It can be challenging to know when to transition your child from two naps to one. It is all the more difficult, because there is often a period when two naps are too much sleep and one nap is not enough. Here are some tips to help you navigate the big midday nap transition.