I used to be a high school teacher. As a teacher, I gave homework. That was my job and a tradition, something that I didn’t even think to question. So when my older son entered Kindergarten, I also didn’t question the homework my son brought home on Monday, due Friday. They were simple tasks, but
Since that evening, he has practiced piano most every day, sometimes starting on his own, other times with my encouragement, which had never worked before. Piano practice did not feel like a dreaded chore any more. Something was lighter. I could tell that my son was playing because he liked it and he wanted to.
One morning, my 3-year-old said, “I am my brother, not me,” while I was busy getting my older son ready for school. Ah, a sign of a storm brewing, I thought. I squatted at his level to acknowledge him, but could not stop for more than a short minute. Then, my younger son started complaining,
After a weekend together, my husband and I were putting our kids to bed. The lights were out, but my 5-year-old was not settled; he was making a raspberry noise. This annoyed his brother, my 9-year-old, who shouted, “Be quiet! Stop that noise!” We tried, “your brother is asking you, please stop.” But nothing seemed
My three-year-old was getting better at using the potty, but he would end up wetting his pants once in a while. One day, in a supermarket while trying to get grocery shopping done quickly, he started wiggling like he needed to go potty. I asked him to use the bathroom. He was very reluctant, acting like
My five-year-old son caught a three-inch long skink lizard the other day. It was very exciting for both my sons. The lizard was given a name and a place to stay. But, by the next day the lizard, which was so agile when caught, moved only slowly. After a show-and-tell of the lizard at school,
It was one of those necessary limits that we parents set every day and I liked the process as it didn’t build up tension in him or in myself, instead, it diffused it. I didn’t resort to threats or bribes, and I didn’t raise my voice. It made us close and playful.