Chandler, Arizona
Sweet Pea ​Births
Sweet Pea ​Births
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
Blog
Wonder-ful Years
| Posted on January 31, 2012 at 3:07 PM |
If you have been out in the world long enough, you have
noticed that people come in many different stripes…each unique and individually
driven. Some folks thrive on
competition, others like to hang out of the fray, some people like crowds, others
prefer to keep to themselves – there are so many different variations in
personality that exist side by side in our world.
 When I gather with a group of moms, it is inevitable that I
hear the evaluation questions that aim to determine who has the best and
brightest child. Admittedly, being a
competitive person myself, this is what I hear, not what all parents might
necessarily get from the conversation around them. Anyhow…the questions start, “How much does
Baby weigh? How long has Baby been
(insert “trick” here…rolling over, sitting, crawling, pulling up, etc.)? Have you started…?"As our children get older, it’s academic level, sports skills, report
cards, etc. There are so many aspects of
childhood where parents can compare notes.
I feel that it is important to acknowledge that our feelings about our
children’s progress in respect to their peers are a reflection on us, not
them. A child left to its own devices is
curious, playful and wonderful. One of the biggest challenges I have as a parent is to allow
our children to discover who they are instead of superimposing my personality
on them. A wise momma of two adopted
children once told me that her advantage as an adoptive mom was that she had no
preconditions or expectations of her children to follow in her footsteps; she
was helping them discover their talents and gifts since the pressure to
genetically “be like mom” or “be like dad” was non-issue for them. I often go back to that wisdom when
the kiddos are acting their own way instead of mine! Which brings me to the point: let your children be who they are. They are each unique, individual and ready to
discover the world. Each child will
develop at their own pace, and that pace may not be what you or your in-laws
were expecting. There are important milestones to be aware of, and if a
child is developmentally delayed then you can start asking questions and
seeking help. (see links below) However, if a friend’s
baby rolled over a week or two before your baby, or if someone is introducing
solids and you aren’t their yet, it is okay.
When your child is ready, it will be easy to do those things. When they are not ready, a fussy or grumpy
baby is telling you that its not their time yet. Our children are children for such a short time when you
look at a person’s lifespan. Allow them
the time and the space to be themselves.
Let them have the 10 – 12 years free of judgment before peer pressure
and social pressure start to influence them.
They have a good 40 – 60 years of being a “grown up” if they are blessed
with a long life. What can you do to help your baby learn and be stimulated? Read to them every day for a minimum of fifteen
minutes. You can start reading to them
as soon as they are born – pick your favorite novel and read it aloud to
them. Ysabella heard the Fellowship of
the Ring in Spanish throughout her first year.
The boys were read Harry Potter in Spanish. With Angelika we are reading the Two Towers
in Spanish. It doesn’t matter that there
are no pictures. When they are ready to
look at books, incorporate your favorite stories and rhymes. The important thing is that they are hearing
the sounds and the flow of spoken language. You can sing to them – rhyming songs, counting songs, silly
songs. Music has a great way of diffusing
a tense situation. If you and baby have
had a long day by yourselves, singing and adding a little movement can help
bring everyone back to the “happy place”. Turn off the entertainment system in the car and talk to
your children when you are driving. Point out colors, textures, context of
buildings and their function. Pick a
color, shape or a sign of the day and have them call out the object when they
recognize it. You can use things around the house to make manipulative
games that teach reading and math skills.
Help them notice things that are the same, things that are different,
things that go together, things that are opposites. Make patterns with objects, put several
things in a row and face one in a different direction to see if they can notice
the subtle difference. If they can’t,
play the games that they can master. Play with puzzles.
Start with the chunky ones they can “eat” if that’s where they are
developmentally. We like the ones with
the knobs and cut-outs. Move up in level
when they are ready. Make games out of
throwing pieces from several puzzles on the floor, give everyone a board, and
take turns drawing pieces to see if they fit on their puzzle board. There are many signing, music and now even sensory classes
available in Arizona if you want to get out of the house. I find taking the kiddos to swimming to be a
great sensory activity – water touches all the nerves on the skin, the sound
and smell of the water, the faces and colorful suits of their classmates, and
then there is always a snack afterwards. Love your children, provide opportunities for them to learn
and grow. I promise you will be
pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion. What kinds of games or activities do you like to do with
your child(ren)? Here is a link for milestones – scroll down. It seems like each state is implementing a
Birth to Five initiative – check with your state children’s services and see if
there are resources available in your state: Learn the Signs. Act Early. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National
Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), in
collaboration with a number of national partners, launched a public
awareness campaign called “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” The
campaign aims to educate parents about childhood development, including
early warning signs of autism and other developmental disorders, and
encourages developmental screening and intervention. " Disclaimer: The
material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.  We are now enrolling for our Spring SeriesMarch 5, 2012 to May 21, 2012 For more information or to register, please call us at
602-684-6567 or email us at [email protected] |
Categories: Childcare, Parenting
Post a Comment
Oops!
The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again.
60 Comments
Reply
sorDayday
1:36 AM on September 18, 2021
https://buyplaquenilcv.com/ - where is the best place to buy plaquenil
Oops!
Oops, you forgot something.