Comments for Root Parenting - Early child development research and insights http://rootparenting.org Early childhood development thoughts and research. Wed, 09 May 2012 01:19:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on 5 Reasons Why Time-outs Can Be Harmful To Your Children by Nicole http://rootparenting.org/child-timeouts-can-be-harmful/comment-page-1/#comment-700 Nicole Wed, 09 May 2012 01:19:20 +0000 http://rootparenting.org/2009/04/06/child-timeouts-can-be-harmful/#comment-700 I completely agree with this article. Someone mentioned that it will be harder for kids when they grow up in the real world if they haven't learned that there are consequences. This article says nothing about no consequences. And if we teach our children to listen, talk about their feelings and empathize with others, they most likely will grow up to understand the difference between right and wrong and wont have to worry about "adult time out" (jail) And the term "convenience parenting" is not meant to insult. If you are insulted by it, step back and evaluate why. The thing is, attachment parenting is hard work. Its not easy. I believe that it takes a great amount of patience and time. It would be much easier to sit my 4 yr old in a 4 minute time out, spend a moment rehashing and forcing an apology and then sending him on his way to do exactly what he just served time for, but secretly, to avoid time out. I completely agree with this article. Someone mentioned that it will be harder for kids when they grow up in the real world if they haven’t learned that there are consequences. This article says nothing about no consequences. And if we teach our children to listen, talk about their feelings and empathize with others, they most likely will grow up to understand the difference between right and wrong and wont have to worry about “adult time out” (jail)

And the term “convenience parenting” is not meant to insult. If you are insulted by it, step back and evaluate why. The thing is, attachment parenting is hard work. Its not easy. I believe that it takes a great amount of patience and time. It would be much easier to sit my 4 yr old in a 4 minute time out, spend a moment rehashing and forcing an apology and then sending him on his way to do exactly what he just served time for, but secretly, to avoid time out.

]]> Comment on 5 Unique Benefits of Waldorf Education by Jake http://rootparenting.org/5-unique-benefits-of-waldorf-education/comment-page-1/#comment-697 Jake Fri, 04 May 2012 14:40:55 +0000 http://rootparenting.org/?p=794#comment-697 Excellent summation of a Waldorf School. I am one of those Specialty Teachers. I teach music at a public Waldorf Charter school in California. It's a hint different than what you describe, but in large strokes its the same. I'm also a parent of children at our school. As a parent, I love the gentle kindness evoked in my kids, and their eagerness to 'play' at learning. I love that when I ask what they learned today they shrug and say "I dunno...stuff". When I ask what they played with they list off wonderful activities such as science experiments, geometry, handwork, instrument work, foreign language and a host of other fantastic "toys". For those who are skeptical about Anthroposophy, look into it critically. Heck, I'm a Mormon and I teach here! Nobody ever asks Waldorf teachers to believe and practice Anthroposophy, simply to know something about it. And, sure, Steiner said some pretty crazy stuff about the "why" of his pedagogy near the end. That doesn't mean that the "how" is any less diminished. Excellent summation of a Waldorf School. I am one of those Specialty Teachers. I teach music at a public Waldorf Charter school in California. It’s a hint different than what you describe, but in large strokes its the same.

I’m also a parent of children at our school. As a parent, I love the gentle kindness evoked in my kids, and their eagerness to ‘play’ at learning. I love that when I ask what they learned today they shrug and say “I dunno…stuff”. When I ask what they played with they list off wonderful activities such as science experiments, geometry, handwork, instrument work, foreign language and a host of other fantastic “toys”.

For those who are skeptical about Anthroposophy, look into it critically. Heck, I’m a Mormon and I teach here! Nobody ever asks Waldorf teachers to believe and practice Anthroposophy, simply to know something about it. And, sure, Steiner said some pretty crazy stuff about the “why” of his pedagogy near the end. That doesn’t mean that the “how” is any less diminished.

]]> Comment on 5 Reasons Why Time-outs Can Be Harmful To Your Children by Megan http://rootparenting.org/child-timeouts-can-be-harmful/comment-page-1/#comment-686 Megan Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:18:44 +0000 http://rootparenting.org/2009/04/06/child-timeouts-can-be-harmful/#comment-686 Someone please show me a 1-3 yr old that can 'explain' to you that they hit his/her sister because they aren't getting enough attention from you? What child knows this? I am also curious to all those that oppose time-outs, etc and state that these actions cause feelings of being 'unloved' in the children.....how many have at least one parent at home full-time versus one or two working parents? All this hype and 'study after study' done on disciplining children, but everyone seems perfectly ok to ignore the fact that these feelings of 'separation and loneliness' are mainly caused by parents who work instead of staying home to RAISE their children. Because, in the past 30+ years that has suddenly become 'beneath' us. Men and Women can criticize and have you to believe that they have their children's best interest in mind so we 'can't hurt their self-esteem by punishing them' but forget the fact that we abandoned them from infancy to go about our careers. And don't fool yourself into thinking that 'not everyone has the luxury to stay home' is a logical answer, its not. It's an excuse. What we are really saying is "We would rather live comfortably then humbly'. Psychologist try to tie our childrens self-esteem issues to the type of punishment when really this occurs hand in hand with the same time mothers stopped being full-time mothers. Find a connection there? If you were continually there for your children during their formative years, they would never feel unloved from you regardless of whether or not you used time-out. Because they would grow knowing you are always there from them and time-outs are simply a way of setting boundaries, nothing more. Someone please show me a 1-3 yr old that can ‘explain’ to you that they hit his/her sister because they aren’t getting enough attention from you? What child knows this?
I am also curious to all those that oppose time-outs, etc and state that these actions cause feelings of being ‘unloved’ in the children…..how many have at least one parent at home full-time versus one or two working parents?

All this hype and ’study after study’ done on disciplining children, but everyone seems perfectly ok to ignore the fact that these feelings of ’separation and loneliness’ are mainly caused by parents who work instead of staying home to RAISE their children. Because, in the past 30+ years that has suddenly become ‘beneath’ us. Men and Women can criticize and have you to believe that they have their children’s best interest in mind so we ‘can’t hurt their self-esteem by punishing them’ but forget the fact that we abandoned them from infancy to go about our careers. And don’t fool yourself into thinking that ‘not everyone has the luxury to stay home’ is a logical answer, its not. It’s an excuse. What we are really saying is “We would rather live comfortably then humbly’.

Psychologist try to tie our childrens self-esteem issues to the type of punishment when really this occurs hand in hand with the same time mothers stopped being full-time mothers. Find a connection there?

If you were continually there for your children during their formative years, they would never feel unloved from you regardless of whether or not you used time-out. Because they would grow knowing you are always there from them and time-outs are simply a way of setting boundaries, nothing more.

]]> Comment on Education System Pushes Kids to Read Too Early by charcoal art work http://rootparenting.org/public-education-system-pushes-kids-to-read-too-early/comment-page-1/#comment-683 charcoal art work Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:34:55 +0000 http://rootparenting.org/?p=1004#comment-683 <strong>charcoal art work...</strong> [...]Education System Pushes Kids to Read Too Early | Root Parenting - Early child development research and insights[...]... charcoal art work…

[...]Education System Pushes Kids to Read Too Early | Root Parenting – Early child development research and insights[...]…

]]> Comment on 5 Unique Benefits of Waldorf Education by Sydney http://rootparenting.org/5-unique-benefits-of-waldorf-education/comment-page-1/#comment-682 Sydney Sun, 15 Apr 2012 02:57:01 +0000 http://rootparenting.org/?p=794#comment-682 This is a great summation of Waldorf Schools and what most of them give to children in a community. I would add that the pedagogy has a great deal of spirituality in how you relate to the children, parents and community as a whole. This is entirely unique to Waldorf as it is a foundation of what Rudolf Steiner spoke of when creating a school. I would, however, disagree about how Waldorf "blends “back to basics” educational techniques with modern pragmatic attachment parenting principals." Attachment parenting is actually very far from Waldorf pedagogy , though in most Waldorf School you do find parents who choose that route. Pickler/RIE methods (http://www.rie.org/about) are more synonymous with the pedagogy, especially in the birth to 3 age range. This is a great summation of Waldorf Schools and what most of them give to children in a community. I would add that the pedagogy has a great deal of spirituality in how you relate to the children, parents and community as a whole. This is entirely unique to Waldorf as it is a foundation of what Rudolf Steiner spoke of when creating a school.
I would, however, disagree about how Waldorf “blends “back to basics” educational techniques with modern pragmatic attachment parenting principals.” Attachment parenting is actually very far from Waldorf pedagogy , though in most Waldorf School you do find parents who choose that route. Pickler/RIE methods (http://www.rie.org/about) are more synonymous with the pedagogy, especially in the birth to 3 age range.

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