Parenting Archives • Page 3 of 4 • Raintree Montessori

Why Simplifying May Protect Our Children’s Mental Health
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Why Simplifying May Protect Our Children’s Mental Health

Parenting

Why Simplifying May Protect Our Children’s Mental Health

Heather2019-08-04T22:47:16-05:00June 4th, 2019|Categories: Parenting|Tags: creativity, self-regulation|

By Tracy Gillett When my Dad was growing up he had one sweater each winter. One. Total. He remembers how vigilantly he cared for his sweater. If the elbows got holes in them my Grandma patched them back together. If he lost his sweater he’d recount his steps to find it again. He guarded it like the precious gift it was. He had everything he needed and not a lot more. The only rule was to be home by dinner time. My Grandma rarely knew [...]

Let Children Get Bored Again
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Let Children Get Bored Again

Parenting

Let Children Get Bored Again

Heather2019-08-04T22:34:54-05:00March 4th, 2019|Categories: Parenting|Tags: creativity, parenting, self-regulation|

Boredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements. More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency. By Pamela Paul “I’m bored.” It’s a puny little phrase, yet it has the power to fill parents with a cascade of dread, annoyance and guilt. If someone around here is bored, someone else must have failed to enlighten or enrich or divert. And how can anyone — child or adult — claim boredom when there’s so much that can and should be done? Immediately. But boredom is [...]

Why Are Kids Impatient, Bored, Friendless, and Entitled?
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Why Are Kids Impatient, Bored, Friendless, and Entitled?

Parenting

Why Are Kids Impatient, Bored, Friendless, and Entitled?

Heather2019-02-28T10:53:17-06:00February 28th, 2019|Categories: Parenting|Tags: brain development, parenting, technology|

By Victoria Prooday Kids today are in a devastating emotional state! Most come to school emotionally unavailable for learning. There are many factors in our modern lifestyle that contribute to this. I am an occupational therapist with years of experience working with children, parents, and teachers. I hear the same consistent message from every teacher I meet. Clearly, throughout my time as an Occupational Therapist, I have seen and continue to see a decline in children’s social, emotional, and academic functioning, as well as a [...]

How to Encourage Kids to ‘Give Back
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How to Encourage Kids to ‘Give Back

Parenting

How to Encourage Kids to ‘Give Back

Heather2019-02-28T11:14:50-06:00December 28th, 2018|Categories: Parenting|Tags: Grace and Courtesy, parenting, soft skills|

Washington Post "On Parenting," Journalist Amy Joyce Here are tips from the Family Dinner Project, a grassroots movement to encourage eating well and talking over dinner about things that really matter, about how to encourage children to give back. Text or call someone you appreciate. Talk about people your family appreciates, then take the time to text or call them, telling them so. Talk as a family about the person’s reaction and how it felt to share your gratitude. Discuss ways to “pay it forward.” Explain that [...]

The One Question Every Parent Should Quit Asking
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The One Question Every Parent Should Quit Asking

Parenting

The One Question Every Parent Should Quit Asking

Heather2018-06-28T12:42:48-05:00June 28th, 2018|Categories: Parenting|Tags: love, parenting|

By Scott Dannemiller “It’s like she’s not even practicing.” Audrey’s piano teacher was standing in front of me, giving her honest assessment. Her eyes were kind, and her voice soft, but my parental guilt turned her statement into a question. One I couldn’t answer. So I just faked a diarrhea attack and ran to the restroom. Once we got home, I was determined to show Miss Amanda that my daughter could be the next Liberace, only more bedazzled than the original. So we opened her [...]

7 Key Phrases Montessori Teachers Use and Why We Should Use Them, Too
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7 Key Phrases Montessori Teachers Use and Why We Should Use Them, Too

Parenting

7 Key Phrases Montessori Teachers Use and Why We Should Use Them, Too

Heather2018-06-21T09:17:03-05:00June 20th, 2018|Categories: Parenting|Tags: community, Grace and Courtesy, independence, Montessori, parenting, phrases, soft skills|

By Christina Clemer Montessori can be hard to sum up in just a few words —it is a philosophy on education and child development that runs deep. It’s a way of seeing the world. I think one of the easiest ways to get an idea for what Montessori means is to listen to the language that Montessori teachers use. Montessori teachers use language that respects the child and provides consistent expectations. Words are chosen carefully to encourage children to be independent, intrinsically motivated critical thinkers. [...]

The Fear Factor
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The Fear Factor

Parenting

The Fear Factor

Heather2018-06-20T14:51:37-05:00January 6th, 2018|Categories: Parenting|

We were lucky. When Heather and Saasha were small, we didn’t have time to worry. Oh, we had the usual clash with grandparents over parenting issues such as not potty-training them before they were 12 months old, or the fact we chose to move into a vacant church to start Raintree and live in two Sunday school rooms. “You are going to do what?” my parents said. “That’s the craziest thing we’ve ever heard!” But honestly, we were so busy creating Raintree we didn’t have [...]

Encouragement for Jackson Bezzant: Don’t let bullies define you
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Encouragement for Jackson Bezzant: Don’t let bullies define you

Parenting

Encouragement for Jackson Bezzant: Don’t let bullies define you

Heather2017-10-02T14:51:10-05:00October 2nd, 2017|Categories: Parenting|Tags: parenting|

By Leonard Pitts, Jr. Dear Jackson Bezzant: Hi, my name is Leonard. I read your dad's Facebook post about you and wanted to share some thoughts. When I was your age, I was a shy, skinny kid with thick glasses, couldn't play kickball to save my life, always had my head in a book, lived alone in my own little world. All of this drew bullies to me like moths to a porch light. I got punched a lot. I had my glasses broken more than once. I [...]

On Social Media
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On Social Media

Parenting

On Social Media

Heather2016-11-29T10:08:10-06:00November 29th, 2016|Categories: Parenting|Tags: parenting, social media, technology|

An excerpt from The Collapse of Parenting by Dr. Leonard Sax Many of the problems we see with North American kids today— the defiance, the disrespect, the disconnection from the real world— can be traced to the lack of a strong attachment between parents and their kids. As Dr. Gordon Neufeld writes, “the waning of adult authority is directly related to the weakening of attachments with adults and their displacement by peer attachments.” Consider an acorn. Its strong shell prevents it from growing until the [...]

Parenting in the Age of Awfulness
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Parenting in the Age of Awfulness

Parenting

Parenting in the Age of Awfulness

Heather2018-06-21T09:23:53-05:00April 4th, 2016|Categories: Parenting|Tags: parenting, soft skills|

The Wall Street Journal December 18, 2015 Dr. Leonard Sax Kyle was absorbed in a videogame on his cellphone, so I asked his mom, “How long has Kyle had a stomach ache?” Mom said, “I’m thinking it’s been about two days.” Then Kyle replied, “Shut up, mom. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” And he gave a snorty laugh, without looking up from his videogame. Kyle is 10 years old. I have been a physician for 29 years. This sort of language and behavior [...]