LifeWays
September 2, 2018 The firewood you chop warms you twice. – Old English Proverb One of my favorite stories to share with young children is the Little Red Hen. The simple, sweet repetition draws them into the story as the process of transforming wheat to bread takes place, and they love the poetic justice of …
August 26, 2018 The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. -Socrates This back-to-school time brings us face to face with change. Parents line up their children for the ceremonial back to school photo and marvel at how much they’ve grown …
I believe that one of the greatest contributors to disconnection from our children today is technology. I feel it is has somewhat replaced one of our most cherished threads of bonding in families, the art of storytelling. The origins of storytelling are ancient and lost in the mist of time. I imagine one of the …
My oldest child never went to daycare. When he started school in 2005, he was barely 4 years old and entering Pre-Kindergarten. Pre-kindergarten is for 3’s turning 4, so he was right on target. A few days before the start of school, I actually tracked down his teacher’s home phone number and called her. I …
Dahlia writes: Starting in first grade, our son began to use words that were not part of our household such as, “I hate you” to his little sister. I started to talk to him about how powerful our words are and shared Dr. Emoto’s work in his book, The Hidden Messages in Water, where he put …
Before I had children I didn’t even know how to spell “rhythm.” I had gotten used to doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted as a single person: making my own schedule where I could paint 24 hours straight and sleep for 12 hours every other day; loving my footloose and fancy-free life of being …
As a LifeWays-inspired parenting coach and teacher of caregivers, I’ve worked with families and caregivers from many geographic areas and walks of life: mothers, fathers, married and unmarried, grandparents, nannies, caregivers, and teachers, in the U.S., England, Europe, Australia, even the Middle East and Israel. Although their homes and schools look different, all have shared …
People all over the country have been protesting the travel ban that prohibits people from certain countries from traveling to the United States. There has been so much talk of building a wall to separate our nation from the “others” that the school age children in my life are expressing fears and asking questions. The me …
Spring Cleaning with Mothering Arts By Kerry Ingram Spring is coming! Spring fever, spring babies and spring cleaning. This is my favorite time of year to create space for new growth and freshness by clearing clutter and getting the house in order. A Traditional Folk Rhyme invites us to simplify the work that is done …
With an average of ten toddlers from the ages of 18 months to 3 years in an indoor space, there are times during the children’s free play when they need additional quiet rest times, that supplement the traditional afternoon nap. These “rest times” generally do not involve sleep, but allow children who have been hurt, …