My Why

Practical Life Parenting

You may be wondering what does Practical Life Parenting even mean? As a Montessorian for over 20 years, I wanted my business name to represent my core beliefs. The Montessori Theory is a method of teaching developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian educator, physician, and scientist. Her work began in 1906 and her method of teaching is based on the key principles of Independence, Observation, Following the Child, Prepared Environment and Absorbent Mind. The Montessori Theory methods, concepts and foundation principles can be applied across all ages.

One of the key components of the Montessori method is that it takes full advantage of the child’s motivation to learn at a very young age. The Practical Life curriculum in Montessori provides a scope and sequence for everyday routines and practices focusing on 4 main areas: care of self, care of environment, grace & courtesy and movement of objects. In addition to the other academic areas, the Montessori approach offers a pedagogy that elevates and empowers the child in her pursuit of these skills. Practical Life in Montessori is a purposeful activity which develops independence, concentration and a sense of responsibility. Practical Life activities are applicable for all ages, even infants, and change depending on what the child can do at each stage of development. The activities can start with something as simple as pulling pants up or washing hands and can get as complicated as baking a dessert, or even developing a business plan in the elementary or middle school years. Why are Practical Life activities necessary? When taken seriously and presented as an approachable, impactful challenge, these activities hold inherent dignity. It’s not “just” getting dressed or “just” juicing an orange if doing it alone. The child is learning to follow a complex motor sequence, independently, in order to fulfill his or her own desires and needs. These skills, when taught early in life, allow children to believe in themselves as well as develop the self discipline needed for success throughout their lives. These activities not only spark curiosity for exploration, but they ignite an intrinsic drive and love of learning.

I absolutely love helping my clients incorporate Practical Life skills in their homes while still honoring the child and their developmental stage. Creating a family unit based on collaboration and responsibility fosters independence, confidence and accountability in children.

I chose to name my business Practical Life Parenting because these skills also continue into adulthood. As adults, we continue to learn, develop and improve skills through our life experiences. Without a doubt, our number one teachers in our lives are our children. Our children teach us to slow down and see life through their perspective full of joy and wonder. They teach us how to regulate our emotions. Aren’t we all working on this one?! At times, it can seem like our children know exactly how to push our buttons and when to do so. To be able to regulate emotions in order to be “the calm” during a child’s storm is transformational as a parent. Remember those 4 areas of practical life skills mentioned above? They are also applicable in regards to parenting:

Care of self: I work with my client’s inner work to figure out why certain things are so triggering and help them build calming tools for self-regulation. Helping my clients identify what their needs are and finding ways to self-regulate while accessing self-care (guilt-free) is such a necessary part of parenting.
Caring for environment: I work with clients to understand how they are the primary models for their children. I help them create a home environment based on unconditional love, trust, non-violent communication and collaboration. I provide suggestions and strategies to create an atmosphere at home in a way that not only provides safety, but promotes a sense of autonomy and a deep understanding of their children’s needs.
Grace & Courtesy: Grace is the child’s ability to use their will to show comfort and respect in themselves and courtesy is showing that same grace and respect towards others. How can we model Grace & Courtesy as parents in the home? The way we do this is through unconditional love and connection. We model forgiveness when mistakes happen and repair those moments of reactivity with lots of empathy to show that we are all learning, we are all human! Our ultimate goal is to stop seeing our children’s tendencies through the lens of judgment and help them learn to have consideration for their own needs and the needs of others.
Movement of objects: Don’t you feel as a parent that you are constantly moving precious cargo (tiny or large), catering to their needs and fulfilling all the responsibilities on your to-do list? It can seem like a juggling act at times. I love problem solving with my clients; ways to be more proactive, how to resolve conflicts, and provide simple organizational tools to help family dynamics have less chaos with all the moving pieces life brings us as parents.

There is nothing “new age” about Montessori’s methods, in fact Montessori schools and families across the globe are using the same principles that Dr. Maria Montessori discovered and developed herself more than 100 years ago. Parenting in this modern day life can bring many new challenges that were not present in the generations before us. But now more than ever, we have access to current research on brain, attachment and nervous system science in order to build emotional intelligence for all members of the family. The Mental Health crisis in this country is at an all time high, especially in adolescence. Practical Life Parenting provides a safe space to figure out what is working and what is not working in your life as a parent. I encourage parents to build close relationships with their children, to nurture them and their desire to gain independence by providing clear boundaries based on values. I support parents to foster social connections and teach healthy emotional habits that will help their children be successful well into adulthood.