Like so many other things in life, gratitude is learned. Humans aren’t naturally grateful — without some guidance, we’ll stay selfish as long as we can. And be honest … you probably just thought of someone in your life who could say “thank you” a bit more often.
Together is the only way we can create a truly inclusive, kind, and loving world. Instilling that in your child — however imperfectly you might feel while doing it — is how it starts.
Work-life balance is such a hot topic because parents are attempting to make their work and personal lives play nicely. Work-life balance decides how we prioritize our time and energy.
You’re somewhere public — the store, the park, a religious service — and your preschooler decides to shout a four-letter word they recently heard someone else use. Every judgemental eye in the crowd turns to you, waiting to see how you’ll respond.
One of the most exhausting battles parents fight is the one over sleep. To make things worse, the middle of the night or the end of a long day isn’t the time we want to think strategically about how to overcome a conflict with a toddler. And after days and days of sleepless nights, no amount of caffeine during the day will help, either.
At the end of the day, acknowledge that you are doing your very best as a parent. Vague societal standards shouldn’t be the measuring sticks we use to define parental success. Whether that’s a 30-minute check-in at the end of each day or an hours-long activity once a week, look at what your children need and do your best to make sure everyone feels valued and loved.
Up until now, our series explaining the basics of Reggio Emilia have been focused on children. (Which makes sense.) But there are two very important groups of people who have to be involved for the goals of Reggio Emilia to work: teachers and parents.
Thankfully, being helpful and comforting comes naturally to little kids. And while empathy develops over time, by the age of 2, children start trying to comfort others who are obviously upset. By age 4, they can better understand when they’ve hurt someone and apologize. That may seem surprising, but kids are very sensitive to their worlds. They see the importance of kindness, especially if it’s reflected in the lives of those around them.
The hope we have for every child at Little Sunshine’s Playhouse® is that they grow up to feel powerful! That means feeling secure in themselves, making positive life choices, learning to think critically, expressing and acknowledging their feelings and thoughts, and leading full lives.
So how do we raise girls to be powerful when all of this junk is getting in their way? Start early!
