Preschool has crept up on us. Suddenly, it seems that EVERYONE is at preschool, five days a week. And BabyBoy and BabyGirl are not yet three. I want to cry.
Cry because I did my research, I made my decision…..and still the societal pressure is forcing me to second-guess myself.
Are my kids going to get left behind? Are they ever going to be able to hang out with kids their own age? Am I stopping them from asserting their burgeoning independence? Continue reading
My second post in the Easy Crafts series introduces the wonderful world of….stickers!
Sticker art is an easy, non-messy way of honing your toddler’s fine motor skills and inspiring creativity.
My last post dealt with how a teacher dealt, in my opinion, wrongly, with a request for advice from a parent. Today I relate another anecdote showcasing the throwaway comments with which, without realizing, we burden our children with stereotypes. Continue reading
There are a lot of throwaway comments that have ‘gender issues’. ‘Boys will be boys’ is a classic – used to explain all kinds of behavior from a love of toys cars to sexual harassment.
Today, however, I was present during a conversation when a concerned mother asked a pre-school teacher for advice. Her 4 year old son had some playmates who had recently become interested in pretending to use guns (using props if no toy guns were around). The son was not showing any interest in this sort of play, and the mother was concerned that he would lose friends if he didn’t play these sorts of games. Continue reading
With the Easter holidays over, it’s back to pre-school. And that made cast my mind back over the holidays and festivals we have celebrated at preschool.
Among them was….Valentine’s Day.
Sometimes, sometimes you’re not sure whether someone is joking or deadly, heartbreakingly, serious.
Recently I observed a debate on schooling – how strict parents should be with children, and whether tutoring in the primary years is good or bad.
There seem to be two extremes to this debate: Continue reading
afterninemonths 