Mothering Many

I was reading Alli’s blog today, and she’s thinking hard about potty training, so I told her I’d post about it here. Here’s what works for us. I start talking about the potty every now and again once a child turns 2, and gradually increase the frequency of my potty-mentionings until the child expresses interest. If they haven’t decided to use the potty by 3, then I just say today is the day on their birthday, and we go without the diapers. This isn’t a shock to them because I mention over and over that when they are three, they will be too big for diapers.

Yeah, I know that may seem to be a bit late for potty learning. I learned my lesson the hard way, though. I had one child that I pushed at 2 when he wasn’t ready, and it became a total issue between us. That child was well over 6 before he stopped having “accidents”. I’d rather wait a little longer and ensure success for both of us.

Once they are diaper free, I remind them about once an hour to go potty, until they start going reliably on their own. That typically takes a couple of months. And there you have the patented Cass Method of Potty Learning.

Technorati Tags: potty learning, potty training, diapers

Sometimes learning at home is not just about education. For instance, I’ve learned this week that one of my children had a basic misunderstanding of what I have been saying to her for several months. Today’s tip: if your words are not having the effect you desire with your children, make sure you both have the same meaning for those words.

Technorati Tags: communication

Here’s a great place to check out childrens books. You can read them at the Libraries >> Children’s Digital Library [TeacherXpress.com]. The site includes new books as well as classics, and there are books for all ages and reading levels. A gem of a site, really!

If your young children are like mine, they don’t really understand where the money goes and what it means when you tell them you don’t have the money for so-and-so right now. This is particularly true if you use checks to pay for most of your purchases. This will help you teach them a bit about spending limits without using budgeting software.

Get your paycheck cashed, and ask for small bills. Show your child the stack of currency, and then let them help you write down spending categories (groceries, rent/mortgage, gas, utilities, etc) on envelopes. Then let them help you count the money to go in each envelope. As they watch the stack of currency get smaller and smaller, it will help them understand where the money actually goes, and that the supply is not unlimited.

Technorati Tags: money

In as much as your children can understand reason (and you feel comfortable in doing so), explain the why to them of decisions you make. Children must learn to reason for themselves, and the sooner you help them learn to make wise choices, the better off they will be. I’m not talking about whether to have chicken or beef for dinner, of course, but more involved things, like why you prefer to spend time with certain types of people, like why certain actions are wrong, like why you choose to dress a certain way if you do.

The key is passing on your values. You children and mine will pick up values from somewhere, and as much as we’d like to think it will just “rub off”, we need to understand that the ethics of the playground are going to be the deciding influence in their lives unless we are proactive in engaging their hearts.

Otherwise, it’s going to be like taking tenuate while continuing to gorge yourself on cake. You may look good on the outside, but inside, you’re just not healthy.

Technorati Tags: values, ethics

This site from National Geographic explains Forces of Nature in words, pictures and interactive animation. Explore earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and volcanoes. The case studies (you can access them from the right hand corner of the box) are real pictures, and may be a little intense for some children. The ability to create your own natural disaster is a sure draw, however.