Because of the child's need to participate, it is also important that caretakers not just sit and gaze at the baby or continually ask what the baby wants, but lead active lives themselves. Occasionally one cannot resist giving a baby a flurry of kisses; however, a baby who is programmed to watch you living your busy life is confused and frustrated when you spend your time watching him living his. A baby who is in the business of absorbing what life is like as lived by you is thrown into confusion if you ask him to direct it.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
I like this quote
On the subject of parenting methods that I don't ascribe to, I've been reading about the "continuum method". It's not my approach to parenting, but every method has something to offer. This is a quote I really liked:
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2 comments:
Interesting quote. Isn't it just common sense? I mean, interacting with your baby seems to be a pretty obvious thing to do, no?
I confess I'm not one much for *any* parenting books, even those which tend to fit with what we already do. I find them distracting and find my 'fly by the seat of the pants' method seems to work best. I will go to them out of desperation sometimes, then just get frustrated with the "Do it this way and all will be perfect" theory.
What I like about this quote is its opposition to the fad of "enfant roi". Rather than focusing on entertaining your baby, your baby is entertained by participating in everyday things. It is one of those common sense things of course- just look at Eliot's favorite word to figure out how well entertained he can be by the "every day" stuff.
So far, the only parenting book I have that I would ever recommend is "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". The rest of them have been mediocre at best.
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