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My big girl

I'm a big kid now!!
 


 


It's very exciting to witness firsthand  the stages of human development I've learned about! Allison is right on point for going through what Erikson considers the Initiative vs. Guilt stage. This stage describes when a child is trying to gain independence and then often is too forceful about this, thus leading to guilty feelings! So true! It makes sense why this cycle continues until they can really meet the demands of learning and becoming a competent student/child. I am a big subscriber to phsychosocial theories. I believe in them wholeheartedly and feel like I am of the montessori mindset because I love letting Allison do what she is developmentally ready for. In the schools, there is minimal focus on what each child's readiness levels are. She is quite independent, mostly because I usually have the time to wait for her to do something on her own even if it takes a long time. If I had other children I wouldn't be as apt to doing so because I would have less time and probably less patience too! I'm happy not to be in survival mode at work and at home. 
Part of me struggles with teaching her at home. I provide a lot of engaging opportunities for her and love to watch what she can do. I am not lazy but I absolutely love watching her learn- its fascinating. As a teacher, we never get that sit back and revel in the beauty of children accessing information and learning! I have become a more confident mother since I've been at home. I know that Allison gets a good balance of literacy/math along with independent choice making and the ability to just act her age. Her vocabulary skills are incredible and  John and I sometimes forget her age because of it. Just because her oral communication skills are advanced doesn't mean she is advanced in everything else too. This was something I had to constantly check when I was a teacher as well... there can be a dichotomy when it comes to these sorts of things. 

That's all for now... funny how I can get into all the psychology stuff and can't seem to get going on my paper today! uhhh so distratcted, I want a puppy!




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