I’m very pregnant right now and have been reading a lot about slow birthing on Jacquie Munroe’s Blog and it has made me think a lot about slow parenting and the slow movement in general.
We’ve heard it all before “life’s too busy, we need to slow down and smell the roses.” We all agree, but we just find it hard to find the time to slow down. Speaking as a typical A-type personality I certainly didn’t have the time to slow down until pregnancy forced it upon me. But here I am and I have been thinking a lot about “Slow Parenting”
So what is Slow Parenting?
Slow Parenting is about trusting that your child is the best person to be in charge of their own development. By that I mean trusting that your child will explore and develop at the pace that is right for them. Slow Parenting allows children to engage in creative play with what ever is to hand (cardboard boxes, dolls, climbing frames etc) instead of filling the child’s schedule with organised sports, music lessons and dance classes. Sure these things are great, just every thing in moderation as every one needs down time.
Slow Parenting is about really spending time with your kids, it could be as simple as making an extra special dinner together or you could have fun playing some games together. See my website for learning games that you can play with your child.
If you’re like me, you probably agree that this is a great idea but wonder where you will find the time for all this. That’s ok, you don’t need to be an Uber Slow Parent overnight. Try one thing and see if it works for you and your child, then try another. There’s no need to rush into Slow Parenting.