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I feel like the last post I wrote I said that I’d be writing more often than once in a […]
Read moreConfident Child. Confident Parent.
I feel like the last post I wrote I said that I’d be writing more often than once in a […]
Read moreA couple of weeks ago in class, a few of the moms were sharing their birth experiences. One mom described […]
Read moreThere is a girl in one of my classes who loves to hug. Not the gentle, drift-into-your-arms kind of hug. […]
Read moreOkay, I don’t want to bury the lede: I was recently invited to speak on Janet Lansbury’s podcast, Unruffled, and […]
Read moreJust this morning, I sent out a newsletter for RIE titled “That New Yorker Cover – Did you see it?” […]
Read moreI had one of those classes today that left me with such a sense of peace. The kind where everything […]
Read moreYou know those moments when you’re reading something and it feels like the author is speaking directly to your soul? […]
Read moreLast time I shared the story of Charles and the goldfish crackers—how a toddler who initially said no to sharing […]
Read moreIt all started with a bag of goldfish crackers. There’s one toddler who comes to my midweek class who has […]
Read moreIn the classic film, Seeing Infants with New Eyes, Magda Gerber wishes for all parents to see life as an […]
Read moreHello my dear RIE community, I’m writing to be sure you all are safe. Things got really scary, really quickly, […]
Read moreWhen you hold an infant, hold him not just with your body, but with your mind and heart.~Magda Gerber Being […]
Read moreI learned a new word today: caesura. To be fair (to my AP English teacher, Dr. Locke), it could very […]
Read moreTo all the Fathers (and Father figures!) on this list…the care and love you provide to your children plays a […]
Read moreOne of the things I love most about this work is that I never stop learning (Magda would be proud! […]
Read moreOn this Mother’s Day, I want to send my gratitude to you for your steadfast love, patience, and dedication to […]
Read moreHeather Malley is a dear friend and colleague. Someone who thinks deeply about children, who respects, and values them. Someone […]
Read moreLast week, I did something I’ve been excited to do for weeks and weeks…the weather was finally just right…the air […]
Read moreJust yesterday a parent sent me the sweetest 45 second video of the way her household was weathering the rainy […]
Read moreI love when science catches up to what Magda Gerber knew almost a half century ago. In a recent email […]
Read moreAs we, here in Southern California, sit in anticipation of the next wave of rain showers heading our way, I’m […]
Read moreAnd happy Lunar New Year! To all of my families celebrating Chinese New Year, happy year of the Dragon! It’s […]
Read moreI’ve resumed my yoga practice recently…partly because if your job is to get up and down off the floor all […]
Read moreHello and Happy New Year, I know, I know, we’re already two weeks into 2024, but I’m just barely wrapping […]
Read moreI am in a state of shock that the end of the year is a scant two weeks away: it […]
Read moreI’d like to start with some well-wishes: I’m sending gratitude and respect to all of my families with veterans, past […]
Read moreThis week my mind is on judgement. Don’t worry: It’s not because I’m judging you or because anyone has been […]
Read moreI remember when my friend and colleague, Janet Lansbury, started writing her blog many, many years ago. I was still […]
Read moreYou know, I’ve been in early education now for over two decades…seriously, some of my first children are now 23 […]
Read moreThis week, I’m thinking about paradoxes because, truth be told, RIE has a not a few of them…I’m not sure […]
Read moreI came across RIE’s Vision Statement earlier this week, and even though I’ve been teaching RIE for over decade and […]
Read moreAnd you’ll know you’re definitely a weird parent if, like me, you look forward to the day when “weird” is […]
Read moreI’ve been practicing RIE for over twenty years now, so I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but it still gets me […]
Read moreMy thanks to Keri Khalighi (RIE Mom extraordinaire) for sharing this poem and so much other wisdom and beauty. www.wayoftheelements.com […]
Read moreAugust 11th already? Time is truly flying! My nieces start school next week (kinder and 6th!), and my nephews started […]
Read moreYou know a website I really love? It’s called A Mighty Girl, and while it is billed as ‘the world’s […]
Read moreAs I mentioned in my very first Thread (yes, I joined. No, I have no idea what I’m doing, but […]
Read moreAfter a week of toddler classes, my mind is on boundaries. Can’t imagine why… 😉 But in all seriousness, boundaries […]
Read moreIt was another one of those Fridays where I had so many ideas bumping around in my head that I […]
Read moreCare Trust Boundaries Balance Partnership Real Relationships I woke up early the other morning and I (engaged in the downright […]
Read moreIn a piece I sent out several weeks ago, I talked about the building blocks of RIE: respect and authenticity. […]
Read moreMy first thought was what a gift to say the cover quote to a child…and to really feel that for […]
Read moreNature. Nurture. Narration. I came across that simple alliteration a while ago and it resonated…You can spot a RIE parent […]
Read moreLast week I wrote about slowing down, which is an art…a practice, and it is one of the main elements […]
Read moreIn a recent class, I hovered near a child playing on top of a set of wooden stairs (about 2 […]
Read moreCare is the first lesson of love. Last week I wrote about the magic of the Educaring classes I teach…how […]
Read moreSlow down, and then slow down a little more. Some of Magda Gerber’s most famous words of wisdom. And, like […]
Read moreI love it when research catches up with RIE. I’m already seeing evidence of mainstream culture starting to catch up […]
Read moreFirst off, if you’d rather listen to this newsletter, follow this link. I’m trying something new…let me know what you […]
Read moreFirst off, I’m thinking of all my families who will be celebrating the Lunar New Year this Sunday…I’m wishing you […]
Read moreI wrote this article on Friday the 13th, which is traditionally unlucky…but not to worry, this particular Friday the 13th […]
Read moreWhatever your traditions are at the end of the calendar year, though, you’ll probably be spending more time in the […]
Read moreSlow down, and then slow down a little more. One of Magda Gerber’s classic sayings. And, like all of RIE, […]
Read moreBeing a parent is full of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure…ask anyone on the playground! (I’ve often said that judging […]
Read moreMy weekly newsletters are often about a single idea, a story or two about that idea. The idea is that […]
Read moreWait. Yes, wait. That’s the theme of my RIE in Real Life this week…it was one of Magda Gerber’s core […]
Read moreYou know it’s a cold day in California when you’re skyping with your niece in Ohio and she’s wearing flipflops […]
Read moreI had my RIE win all planned out for this week…I planned to write about the gratitude I have for […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read moreA year ago, I barely knew what a webinar was. This week, I hosted one. What a long, strange year […]
Read moreMagda Gerber said that we often underestimate babies and overestimate toddlers. It’s true: since babies are born so dependent on […]
Read moreThis week’s RIE win comes from my Mom. A child advocate, educator, and administrator; her passion is all things early […]
Read moreThis week’s RIE win comes courtesy of my husband, who is a woodworker, computer programmer, musician, and all-around tinkerer…someone who […]
Read moreOne of the exciting things about creating and publicizing my website is that it has brought me back in touch […]
Read moreMy mind is still on the events of Wednesday. Scrolling through Instagram this morning, I found a really excellent post […]
Read moreEarlier this week, I watched a video entitled Parenting in a Pandemic with Britta Bushnell, a birth educator many of […]
Read moreOne of the core pieces of the Educaring Approach, part of what makes it so special, part of what really […]
Read moreThe other day, I started a conversation with my former student, Kumi, about the word “cooperation.” We were discussing a […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read moreI write to discover what I know.-Flannery O’Connor You can make anything by writing.-C.S. Lewis Those two quotations came to […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read moreOkay, so I’ve been teasing it for a while now, and here it is: my synopsis and review of The […]
Read moreLast night my mind was on struggle. I imagine struggle isn’t far from your minds most days…be it on the […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read moreToday, I finally want to share a little about the marvelous book, Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to […]
Read moreI’m hoping this message finds you well, but I wonder if you, like me, and like some of the parents […]
Read moreWhat follows isn’t what I set out to write about today. A few days ago someone posted a screencapture of […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read moreSometimes inspiration comes from within, and sometimes it comes from the world around me…this time, my inspiration comes from a […]
Read moreHello and Happy Thursday, Yes, Thursday…no I didn’t forget what day it was yesterday (well, I did, but just for […]
Read more(Beginning in mid-March 2020, when the world shut down, I began a bi-weekly conversation with the parents who had been […]
Read moreSeveral years ago, I was asked to write about RIE using the prompt “Begin as you wish to proceed” for […]
Read more(My earliest professional work with children took place in a child care center, working with infants and toddlers. Part of […]
Read more(My earliest professional work with children took place in a child care center, working with infants and toddlers. Part of […]
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