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!
If you’ve ever met a toddler, you may have noticed that they have some of the highest confidence levels out there. At two years old, they are the fastest, can jump the highest, and know all their numbers and letters. None of it is true but try convincing them of that.
While most people are busy making resolutions for themselves, parents are often making resolutions for other people. Namely, their children. And at the top of that “I’m gonna get it done this year” list for many are two words in all caps: POTTY TRAINING.
Today’s the day. Your kiddos first day of preschool. You’ve picked out the cute new outfit, you bought that adorable backpack, and your child seems just as excited as you are about going to “big kid” school.
