Posted by
janet on Feb 27th, 2010
I’ve observed hundreds of babies over seventeen years and am comfortable that I have some insight into their worlds, but I still feel a little awkward when I describe ‘infant play’ to others. I sense the person thinking, “Oh yeah, right, infants playing — bring out the lacrosse sticks!” But, actually, from the time a baby is weeks, even days old, she can begin the joyful habit of inner-directed...
Posted by
janet on Feb 8th, 2010
Hovering parents are taking a beating in the media these days. In an avalanche of recent articles, they are shamed, scolded and mocked for hyper-involvement in their children’s lives. ‘Experts’ are coming out of the woodwork with smug superiority, issuing dire warnings about the anxious, insecure children hovering parents are raising. We’re getting an earful about the problems, but zilch in the way of...
Posted by
janet on Dec 6th, 2009
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...
Posted by
janet on Sep 12th, 2009
Brace yourself for a shocking truth: parents need not buy every contraption on display at the baby super store! When I was pregnant with my first child I fell into the trap of believing I needed all the technology that was available. I naively assumed that these products must be in stores because they were helpful and necessary, and no one had advised me to the contrary.
‘Luckily,’ I found hand-me-downs from...