Category: Parenting
On Listening to Children and Believing Them
| May 15, 2013 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Excerpts from Children Talk But No One Listens from s.e. smith: The sentiment ‘better seen than heard’ reflects a larger social attitude of the value of children’s voices, namely that they have none. Children should remain silent, and they are ‘good’ when they’re quiet, but ‘bad’ when they are not, because they are disturbing the adults and causing trouble. This attitude runs through the way people interact with children on every level, and yet, they seem… Keep Reading
Finger-Painting Without the Mess
| March 25, 2013 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
I cannot seem to track down my inspiration for this idea, so I can’t attribute it. But, we had a great time! Dylan liked moving the paint around, and I liked that there was no mess! All you have to do is drop some paint globs down into a Ziploc bag, tape it up to the window, and then (if you have my kid!) sit nearby to make sure un-taping it doesn’t become more interesting… Keep Reading
Baby Bellyaching April 2013
| March 20, 2013 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
The return of Baby Bellyaching! This snark is brought to you by my friend Sara who is giving me her copies of Parenting magazine. I’m not paying for this drivel myself! Remember, this is a rant. If you require nuance at all times, move along elsewhere. Parenting Magazine April 2013 The cover does promise a lot. Dieting for kids? Autism? Bribes? Let’s go! Breeding Fear: These magazines always try to scare the shit out of you (because capitalism!).… Keep Reading
Homeschooling and a Food Analogy
| March 13, 2013 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Sneaking Up On A Theory of Homeschooling from Sierra at ChildWild resonated with me. She talks about how in a short time their homeschooling pattern has already changed to be less about textbooks and more about being self-directed. I understand the allure of textbooks, but I want more freedom for Dylan. I can imagine my future unschooling self (and anxious self) in a constant mental vacillation between more and less structure. As Sierra seeks a foundational theory… Keep Reading
Toddlers Can DO Things
| January 23, 2013 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
I mentioned in Dylan’s 19 month old post how hard he’s working to do things just like we do. This results in adorable things like him trying to carry things twice his size. It also results in purely not-yet-functional things, like him trying to work a screwdriver (here on an old laptop). Even as young as he is, his desire to participate allows him to really get involved in our daily life. He has started… Keep Reading
Dylan: 19 Months Old
| January 16, 2013 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Dylan, I missed writing this at 18 months old because the days can slip by so easily and here you are almost another month older. They are all wonderful days. Oh sure, some of them are louder and more chaotic or darker with more tears. But always, always we are in love, we two, and it’s good to be together. A month or so ago, there was a time outside where Joshua walked into the… Keep Reading
Parenting Through Play Starts in Infancy
| December 11, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Back in September 2011, this article of mine was posted at the Natural Parents Network. I’m reprinting it here for you now. Parenting Through Play Starts in Infancy One of the overarching values that guides my parenting is playfulness. Through my years as a nanny, everything was made a bit easier with an attitude grounded in play and lightheartedness, and I bring this sense of play to parenting as well. When I think of playfulness as… Keep Reading
Paying Attention – 10 Minutes or Tiny Bits
| November 26, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
On a parenting email discussion list that I moderate, a parent recently suggested the “10-20-10″ method of attention giving. You spend 10 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon, and 10 minutes in the evening paying 1-on-1 attention to your child.That sounded like a great idea to me and easy enough for anyone to implement, right? I figured I was already doing 1-on-1 with Dylan at least that much, but that having the… Keep Reading
The Parent My Child Deserves
| November 19, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting, Radical Self-Acceptance |
As a person-with-depression, I have good days and bad days. Do I have more bad days than people without depression have? How would I know? There’s never anyone else on the therapist’s couch with you, and all you can see are other people’s outsides. What I believe is that my bad days are worse than most people’s bad days. They aren’t the worst kinds of days a person can have. Not by a long shot.… Keep Reading
