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Read my column Millennial Mom, published bi-weekly in The Chief newspaper here.
Simplicity Parenting
Use the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Happier, Calmer and More Secure Kids
Are you trying to cope with too much stuff? Is your child having difficulty socially, trouble paying attention or following direction? Are you longing for more respect and joy in your family? Enhance the loving connection and satisfaction within your family by integrating small, sustainable and transformative changes into your family’s life, regardless of the ages and stages of your child(ren). Based on the teachings of Kim John Payne’s book Simplicity Parenting – Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Happier, Calmer and More Secure Kids, you can discover how to simplify your parenting, and connect your parenting style with your values. |
"Every parent should take this course!" ~ Peter Belostotsky
Simplicity Parenting in 2013 | 7-session course Begins Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 meets every two weeks | 9:30 am to noon Location: Cedar Valley Waldorf School $175/per person or $250/couple - plus materials fee ($35 per person)* Pre-registration is required for all workshops and courses, space is limited. Contact Kirsten Andrews, Simplicity Parenting Group Leader at 604-892-0197 or by email. *Sliding scale fees can be discussed. “I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
The Book
Today's busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood. With too much stuff, too many choices, and too little time, children can become anxious, have trouble with friends and school, or even be diagnosed with behavioural problems. Now internationally renowned family consultant Kim John Payne helps parents reclaim for their children the space and freedom that all kids need for their attention to deepen and their individuality to flourish. Simplicity Parenting (co-authored with Lisa M. Ross) offers inspiration, ideas, and a blueprint for change:
• Streamline your home environment. Reduce the amount of toys, books, and clutter—as well as lights, sounds, and general sensory overload.
• Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ways to ease daily tensions, create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if your child is overwhelmed.
• Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child’s daily torrent of constant doing.
• Scale back on media and parental involvement. Manage your children’s “screen time” to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation.
A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children.
• Streamline your home environment. Reduce the amount of toys, books, and clutter—as well as lights, sounds, and general sensory overload.
• Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ways to ease daily tensions, create battle-free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if your child is overwhelmed.
• Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish intervals of calm and connection in your child’s daily torrent of constant doing.
• Scale back on media and parental involvement. Manage your children’s “screen time” to limit the endless deluge of information and stimulation.
A manifesto for protecting the grace of childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an eloquent guide to bringing new rhythms to bear on the lifelong art of raising children.
