Why I write this blog

Monday, October 1st, 2012 11:41 am | By Stephanie Woo

B and M, 20 months, helping me cut carrots for our basil vegetable soup

It’s been 3 ½ months since I wrote my last blog. During that time, the girls and I moved to Denver CO where I completed my AMI 0-3 Montessori Training, moved back to NY, renovated our apartment, rented it out, moved to Baltimore where my husband started a new job and the girls started going to school. It’s been a very intense period of time. I think even bigger than all the moves and changes we’ve been going through is my own transformational journey as a Montessorian and mother. Writing 1000+ pages about children ages 0-3 and everything that will help them become a truly self-fulfilled human being, observing various children for 250 hours and documenting every detail I’ve observed, then passing a 6-hour written exam and 2-hour oral exam – that process changes you, as a human being, as a Montessorian, as a mother.

I started writing this blog because my mother was giving me so much good advice when my girls were first born that I felt I had to share it with more mothers. And then eventually I started writing because I was in awe of what children are capable of at such a young age when given the right environment. Now, I feel I want to write because I’m getting just how critical this age is for the rest of your child’s life and for the future of humanity. Children, from ages 0-6, are ABSORBING with their whole being everything you give them. If you give them a lot, they can be a lot, if you give them a little, they can only be a little. So at this age, it is critical to give them the best environment you possibly can. What they take in and absorb becomes a part of their flesh, part of their consciousness – all of it so deeply embedded that they will carry it with them forever. With all I’ve learned from my training, I have spent a lot of time choosing and designing what kind of environment I give my children. That’s why in the upcoming blogs, you will see why we ask them to set the table and clean up after they eat, why we teach them to use scissors, pit cherries, use knives, etc. It’s not so they can do circus tricks or so mom and dad can show off how great they are, it is because every one of these activities is designed to help them become a truly self-fulfilled human being. As a mother, that’s what I want for them.

Reader Comments (4)

  1. Congratulations on completing your AtoI training! I also completed mine in Vancouver with ChaCha this past summer. I can sense how deeply the last summer of the course has changed you. I look forward to reading more of your adventures with Brooke and Mackenzie.

    Monday, October 1st, 2012 2:00 pm | Carrie
  2. Hi Stephanie. Wow you have been very busy. Congratulations on finishing your AMI 0-3 Montessori Training. I would love to do this course myself; alias I missed the last intake. I look forward to reading your future posts, especially how the girls are going at school. I have been looking into this for my girls who are currently15 months. We have the option of with parents or without parents….. I'm a wee bit scared about the with parent option as there is two of them and one of me! Also I wonder how my presences would impact them.

    Monday, October 1st, 2012 10:09 pm | Kelly
  3. Carrie,

    Chacha's sister lectured at our course in the summer of '11. How was your course? Judi Orion is a legend in my mind and the course was amazing. I love the materials on your website http://www.beginningmontessori.com/, especially the puzzles. My girls are just starting to become very interested in the parts of things. Did your husband make those?

    Stephanie

    Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012 11:02 am | Stephanie Woo
  4. Kelly,

    Have you been to Montessori Toddler-Parent classes? I just saw this online and thought of you: http://www.howwemontessori.com/how-we-montessori/2012/09/why-attend-a-montessori-parent-toddler-program.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HowWeMontessori+%28how+we+montessori%29\

    I don't know where you live, but it's could be a great place to start. Have you asked the school you're considering enrolling how they work with mothers with multiples? Usually, when the mother cannot get to both children, that's what teachers are there for – to help!

    Stephanie

    Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012 11:07 am | Stephanie Woo

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