parenting

Four Elements of a Gentle Childhood

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Four Elements of a Gentle Childhood

Children are born explorers. From newborns with wide-eyed absorption to babies tasting and testing, mastering their hands and developing mobility to toddlers building, destroying, climbing, and mimicking. This curiosity is their early education and as parents and caregivers, we can bolster their confidence and support their explorations through the experiences, environments, and playthings we provide.

Reduce Stimulation
For newborns and small babies, parents can resist the cultural trend toward increased stimulation. When we foster situations that help a baby settle … Read More...

sleeping-child

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Bring on Bedtime

Bedtime can be a last bright spot in the day you and your children share. It can also be the final hurdle between parenting time and personal time for adults and a difficult goodbye for little ones. Figuring out a routine that honors everyone’s needs at the end of the day can help make this an anticipated moment in the day and can ease the the way to dreamland.

  • Bath time can come before dinner. We did this more with
… Read More...
The Life of One Natural Doll

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The Life of One Natural Doll

When our second child was born, our son was given a lovely first doll with a soft, cotton, velour body, wool stuffing, and knit cotton face and hands. It was a dear little doll and we encouraged our son to cuddle and tend this doll; he was two and definitely enjoyed doing some of the things for his doll that we were doing with his sister. However, he never really “bonded” with it, preferring plush animals and wheeled items to … Read More...

Hindsight

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Hindsight

I once said to a friend that I could not know whether our parenting choices were “right”; I just had to do the thing that felt okay at day’s end. Now, we’re looking at much larger transitions than beditme— two children head to college this fall and the third heads into high school. All around us the little ones we watched climb trees and wield wooden swords through mythic quests are driving cars and turning to face the world outside. … Read More...

The Sun Is Calling

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The Sun Is Calling

“London has none of those nice things that children may play with without hurting the things or themselves – such as trees and sand and woods and waters… Trees are all different, as you know, and I am sure some tiresome person must have told you that no two blades of grass exactly alike. But in streets, where the blades of grass don’t grow, everything is like everything else.”

from The Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

While I … Read More...

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Six Ideas for Unplugged Time

Not so long ago, we packed books of mazes, small games, or other diversions when we needed our children to quietly while away some time in a doctor’s office, at a restaurant table, or during a sibling’s violin lesson. The ubiquity of smartphones and tablets has brought ease to creating diversions and with it some peaceful moments. However, we’ve probably all had qualms about what we’ve traded for this convenience, especially when it feels like we haven’t had direct … Read More...

Marking Seasons

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Marking Seasons

Our family has lived in Vermont for over 13 years, and this place is very generous with seasons. January brings intense cold and some snow. With the returning light around Candlemas, the bitter weather abates and the season of snow really begins. On the first day of spring, we might have snow, but from mid-March to the end of April, you can feel nature speeding up. In fact, when our children were small, I found it very easy to make … Read More...

Winter Reads to Share

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Winter Reads to Share

The long evenings and blustery weather of winter provide the perfect backdrop to hours of reading. In our family, we wandered the library and sampled picture books, storybooks and chapter books to find new tales and old favorites to visit and re-visit through the hours of a Vermont evening by the fire. The authors and books below are the ones my entire family anticipates, whatever their age, for wintery hours of reading.

Elsa Beskow- A hundred years later, her picture … Read More...

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Six Rules for Game Play

Playing games with your children can be fun; the relaxed time spent focused on a shared activity can be its own reward. Sometimes, you might even have a laugh over the progress of a game or a chat about what is happening in your children’s lives. But, the game table may also be far from an idyllic moment in a hectic day. Here are a few ideas that might help everyone enjoy it more, or might at least cut down … Read More...

crafting together1

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Ten Activity Gift Ideas

 

Perhaps you are a little tense thinking of yet more toys for your child and you to maintain and tidy. Maybe you are just looking for more ways to spend some precious free time with your child. The following ideas are all about one of the best gifts for any loved one- the gift of time.

  1. Make a skating date, roller or ice. You might not be able to stay on the rink as long as your child, but
… Read More...
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