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August 27 - November 3, 2022
Babies give us hope for the future. The birth of a new child and our hope for their new life lead us to hope for a better world for them. That they will love learning, that they will learn to care for humanity and the Earth, and that there will be no violence or war.
May this book allow you to observe the joy of your growing baby. Observe the smallest ways in which they are developing and changing every day, hour, and minute. May they never lose that joy and wonder.
A soft blanket or picnic blanket for the baby to lie on when we are at the park, the beach, the forest, or anywhere outdoors. Babies love to lie under the trees and watch the shadows change and the movement of the leaves and branches.
We might ask, “Won’t my baby pull everything out now that they have everything accessible to them?” Yes, they probably will at first. And then they will lose interest, or we can show them what they can play with instead. We make sure to babyproof cupboards that have dangerous chemicals or objects. For the rest, it is a matter of trust. They will find some things that are not meant for them, but that is their job—to explore the world around them. So as much as possible we create “yes” spaces and babyproof unsafe things, and then the baby will learn by experimenting that it hurts when fingers
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Reading books becomes a favorite activity for many young toddlers. Think about creating a cozy book corner with front-facing bookshelves displaying a small selection of books and have cushions, a bean bag, or comfortable low chair to read in. We can rotate books when needed with others from a bookshelf or storage area to keep it interesting without being overwhelming to a young child.
And then one day, before they turn a year old, we will be together and our baby will smile at us and walk or crawl away. They look back at us now and then but continue to move away with purpose. They go out of sight and we wait for them to come back, but they don’t. We go to check and we find them. They are sitting down and exploring their shelf or sitting at their table and having a snack. Maybe they are drinking from their glass or in their reading corner, flipping through a book that they have chosen by themselves.
What? This timeline can’t be serious
“Every unnecessary help is an obstacle to the child’s development.”
we give them “tarry time” to process and try. When we say something to our baby, it can take 8 to 10 seconds for them to process it, so we can build this time into our interactions and wait for their response.
“Freedom within limits” is how we help our Montessori children develop self-discipline,
For example, if a baby crawls to an electrical outlet, we tell them it is unsafe and carry them to a safe part of the room.
Be prepared to repeat ourselves: We have only a few limits because we will need to repeat ourselves many times until our baby’s will is developed enough to stop themselves, for example, from touching something they want to explore.
Once we have recognized concentration, we do not interrupt. Not to help, not to congratulate, not to correct. We can simply smile to ourselves, enjoy their achievements and process, and watch from a distance. During their development, concentration is fragile. It is easily broken, and when the baby experiences this a few times, they can stop trying to concentrate. It is so beautiful to watch a baby completely absorbed and engaged in something.
Doing nothing while baby naps. Not trying to catch up on laundry, not catching up on our emails, just sitting in the silence and enjoying it.
Lol
babies thrive on predictability.
At the end of the first year to around 16 months, the hands will become more sensitive as myelination extends to the peripheral parts of the body, and the oral phase of development usually starts to come to an end.
In many ways it is us adults who frame the way our children see and approach the world. The way we speak to them and to others, the opportunities we provide for them,
“Every generation of children is destined to change humanity—their mission is to transform humanity to ever greater levels of awareness and sensitivity of what is good for everyone. That is why all cultures see in their children the ‘hope for tomorrow,’ the expectation being that they will be able to make all things better—especially in how we treat each other. But that can never come about if children incorporate our hates, our prejudice, and our petty pride. We must help them adapt to the inherent goodness of humanity and not to the present evils of society.”
Always do our best. Even when we have had very little sleep, what is the best we can do today? Perhaps today we will parent from bed, put on some music, postpone some appointments, lie down next to our baby, and let go of everything else. In the end it is not about perfection. It’s about presence. So let’s aim for connection over perfection.
Help me as little as possible and as much as necessary—
The child from 6 to 12 years The elementary child becomes a citizen of the world. This is the second plane of development. Their curiosity begins to reach beyond the world in front of them, and they want to know more about distant places, ancient civilizations, and the universe and beyond.
