So I'm sure yall have heard people say that knowing too much can sometimes be a bad thing... well this is it for me. After spending five years in college studying the ins and outs of whats going on inside of little ones heads I feel pretty confident in my knowledge about a childs development and ways to facilitate that development. With that said... I'm CONSTANTLY thinking about Dax and his development and what I'm doing/could be doing to better help him reach is fullest potential. I'm being exactly what the title of this post says... a teacher-mom. Not that wanting to support your childs development is a bad thing... but really, thinking about this ALL the time is not necessary. Yeah, it's great to stimulate him... but I have to remind myself that it's good for him to just sit and look at the lights or the wall (I have still yet to decide whats so fascinating about it). Yeah, it's awesome to talk to your child and doing so will greatly affect his language development.... but I have to remind myself that it's equally as great for him to sit and just listen to the sounds around him. It's okay for me to lay him down for 20 minutes and let him look around while I eat or get a load of laundry in... that 20 minutes isn't going to give him a guaranteed ticket to after school tutoring. If Dax could talk I feel like he would say this to me.....
"Hey teacher mom, there is a such thing as over-stimulation! As much as I like listening to you talk to me about your day, and as much as I like watching you make crazy faces that only a baby could love, I also really like just hanging out on the couch, staring at the mirror and listening to the dogs play and the sound of the dishwasher. It's ok.... take a step back and chill out... I'll turn out just fine"
I've had to learn this too! Esp at first... and I'm not even a teacher! ;)
ReplyDeleteKandice, I LOVE this post! You're so right. I can remember when mine were little and I constantly felt like I was playing catch-up and had to work twice as hard to get them up to speed. It was enough to drive anyone crazy! Fortunately, over the years I've learned that not EVERY toy I buy needs to be educational. Not EVERY conversation needs to be intellectually stimulating or a "teachable moment". And my job is to be a MOM, not a 24/7 educational specialist just for my child. Parents truly ARE their children's first teachers, but there's so many ways to teach your child other than overstimulating them, like you said. Just enjoying them is such a teaching tool in itself for both parent and child.
ReplyDelete