Parenting Clashes (All In The Family)

A mom shared about some family challenges she’s facing and asked for my advice. “I enjoyed reading this post about fostering solo play even though my LO is 14 months. I have tried to foster her interest in independent play by creating a safe space in our home that she can roam around and she has responded quite well. It’s not unheard of for her to play by herself for 45-1hr. My issue lies with not...

Messing With Mother Nature – A Dad’s Personal Post

Meet Mike.  He’s a dashing husband, father, and blog editor extraordinaire. I’ve put him through the wringer since beginning this website, and he’s made many heroic attempts to protect my sanity. His latest is the offer to share his thoughts while I’m working on mine. Mike is responding to a question from Andrea in my Comments section regarding the post Don’t Stand Me Up!, where I encourage allowing...

Don’t Stand Me Up

An infant sits stiffly on the floor, unable to move his legs or extend his arms without losing his balance… A toddler steps off a platform and takes a tumble… Another toddler climbs the bars to the top of a wooden structure, then panics and cries out for his mom, who rushes over to rescue him… These are children in my classes who are less physically self-assured than they might be for one simple reason: their...