Our Parenting Philosophy
We think that it's important that a parent be a figure of authority, but not unquestioned authority. We've found that when telling someone what to do, they are far more likely to do it if you give them a reason for doing it. We'd like to be as consistent as possible, although that can be very difficult sometimes. Children like boundaries - it gives them something to test, and makes them feel comfortable with their perceived place in the world.
We don't believe in corporal punishment, especially not in anger - a naughty spot, extra chores or grounding should suffice for punishment for most childhood infractions. We also think that it's very important that children be given time to be children. We think it's very important for kids to have time to pretend, or to just run around and explore (within limits of safety, of course).
We think that the family should be a source of comfort and love, with the understanding that the parents are there to parent the children, not to be their best friends.
We would like to start traditions around the dinner table, having dinner together seems like a good way to keep the family focused on each other, especially when the children get older and schedules get hectic. We want our children to always know that we'll love them no matter what they might do, and to be able to come to us with any troubles they are having.
We want to be able to give our children the love we have of learning and the world around us - we want to raise freethinkers that look at the world with fresh eyes. We realize that some of this may have to adapt depending on the child, since they're all different, and different methods work for different children.
We don't believe in corporal punishment, especially not in anger - a naughty spot, extra chores or grounding should suffice for punishment for most childhood infractions. We also think that it's very important that children be given time to be children. We think it's very important for kids to have time to pretend, or to just run around and explore (within limits of safety, of course).
We think that the family should be a source of comfort and love, with the understanding that the parents are there to parent the children, not to be their best friends.
We would like to start traditions around the dinner table, having dinner together seems like a good way to keep the family focused on each other, especially when the children get older and schedules get hectic. We want our children to always know that we'll love them no matter what they might do, and to be able to come to us with any troubles they are having.
We want to be able to give our children the love we have of learning and the world around us - we want to raise freethinkers that look at the world with fresh eyes. We realize that some of this may have to adapt depending on the child, since they're all different, and different methods work for different children.
