When did parents become so discredited for the education of their children?

So, I have something on my mind and it's been on my mind for a while. There have been a few incidents lately involving both strangers and family/friends which have completely discredited and undervalued myself and my husband as my daughters educator.

Ladybug turned 2 in August and she doesn't attend preschool or daycare. As a mother I am fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with her. No, we are not made of money. No, my husband doesn't make a killing. No, we don't have a huge savings account. This is just important to us. Both of us feel that it is important for a child to have a caregiver, preferably a parent, to stay at home and teach the child. More important than money, more important than fancy cars and more important than designer clothes. I know that this thinking is not for everyone and I know that some families simply cannot afford or do not enjoy staying at home with the kids and I am not disregarding what they do, that is what preschools and daycares are designed for! I do see a place for them and understand their need. But whether the parents stay home with their kids or not, they are teaching their child. 

The other day I was told (by a stranger) that my daughter must be so clever because she watches a lot of TV ... When did TV become the teacher? I should add that first they asked if she went to preschool: No. So it must be TV right? When (and why) did we stop valuing the parent as an educator? 

Every moment a parent is with their child has the potential to be a teaching moment. No, they don't have to be crafty with Pinterest boards filled to the brim. When they're talking to their child they're giving them language skills and teaching them how to interact with others. When they're bathing their child they're teaching them about their body and how to care for it. When they're feeding their child, they're teaching them how to listen to their body and nourish themselves. Everything they do is teaching their child something: How to regulate their emotions, how to feed the cat, how to cook pancakes. Children learn naturally from their surroundings and parents are there, always setting an example by what they do. The way a parent acts teaches their child how to love others and how to love themselves. And no parents are perfect, sometimes they teach their children undesirable things, but generally parents will acknowledge that and correct it and by doing this they are teaching their children respect, honesty and human nature.

Being a stay at home mum means I am Ladybugs' primary educator and I take that role very seriously. Despite what society has somehow come to think, I do not spend that time watching day time TV or spending all my husbands earnings. At the moment Ladybug has been doing some pre-reading activities and we are currently focusing on the letter E, size ordering of objects, toilet training and gardening. Being a stay at home mum does not mean that I am lazy, that I am stupid or that I am a succubus draining the fun out of my husband. Furthermore, the fact that I am a stay at home mum doesn't mean that I am alienating my husband from being a parent too. We're in this together and those 'big decisions' are not made lightly! We talk often and keep one another informed. I am not the 'one who calls the shots' because I am the one at home, just as he is not the 'worker' because he's the one with a wage. 

By the way, I'm not trying to take the credit for my daughter 'being clever', I believe this is attributed to her personality and love of learning. She picks things up quickly and her curiosity knows no bounds. These traits are merely complimented by the fact that I am at home with her and enjoy helping her learn. 

So, the next time you see a child write their name or recite the alphabet or tie their shoelaces, how about saying "Nice work mama/dad" because parenting isn't easy and it deserves some recognition. Whether they are a stay at home parent or a working parent, they are always a teaching parent!! 

This is Ladybug and we are her teachers

(And for the record, Ladybug rarely watches TV!)

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Baby sign!

This is a big part of our lives so I wanted to make a special post about it now so that if it is ever mentioned in future posts people will know what I am talking about: 

Baby sign language!

One of Ladybug's uncles is deaf so we have been teaching her Australian sign language (Auslan) from birth so that communicating with him will be just as easy and natural for her as communicating with a hearing person (well, an English speaking hearing person!) obviously at 3 hours old there is very little chance of her signing back to us, but there is every chance she is taking things in and learning about the world around her. Signing from the beginning just seemed like the logical way to go about things.

Now, at 16mnths old she correctly signs approximately 14 signs and understands even more.
Signing has not only helped her to communicate her needs with us (and vice versa), it has also helped us learn what her favourite things are - the first sign she used was 'aeroplane' which she continues to do every time she sees or hears a plane go by. From this we learnt that she has a particular interest in aeroplanes. 'Rufus' (our cat) and 'fire' followed soon after, which are also interests of hers (No we don't have a pyromaniac child, she used to enjoy watching her dad light the fire every evening throughout winter!) All of this before 12 months of age!

I also believe that signing with her has actually boosted her language development. Every time we use a sign we say the word along with it and as she has learnt the sign she has also learnt to speak the corresponding word. Now she is quiet articulate and has a broad vocabulary (for a 16 month old) There are also many signs she does not use yet but understands what they mean which makes explaining things much easier for us.

There are some great books and websites out there with lots of information on signing with your baby but you really don't need any of that. 'Baby sign' is modified slightly so that it's easier for little hands but due to Ladybugs uncle being deaf we have been teaching her straight up Auslan and she has picked it up just fine.

The Auslan website has a great Sign Bank dictionary which plays you a short video recording of the sign to any word you type in - we use this, along with Ladybug's uncles as our reference guide!

Another great resource for teaching Australian sign is Sign Planet which is full of games, ideas and info on teaching and learning about sign language. They have a tonne of printables which are handy for placing around your house so that you can quickly recall a sign when needed.

And lastly, there is Bilby Publishing who have several Auslan sign language books, including nursery rhymes (our fave is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) and other stories and info on learning about the deaf community.

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