Montessori Parenting Is anyone else planning on using the Montessori approach to parenting? I would…

I don't really have any ideas but me and my husband are making a change toward this. I've only read one book so I still feel like I don't know enough about it. He has a son who has cerebral palsy and we want to encourage him to be as independent as possible and someone suggested this to me. I read a book on it and was like wow why not do this with older step son and baby boy. We have put stools in all bathrooms and kitchens, cancelled tv (hardest thing EVER), very limited tablet time. We also let them pick their bed time, it only took about a week for them to say "im ready for bed" at 7:30, half hour earlier then before. We're really working helping them find hobbies. Step son who is 3 I think is still to young. Step son who is five has showed interest painting and golf lol.

Honestly I have a hard time being "soft". The part of the book I read said to say things like "when you do that it makes me sad" yea being that calm is hard ?

First off I absolutely love that you use it for your (S)son with CP. I truly believe it is one of the best methods for special needs. I use it with DS1 and we use a modified version at the school I work at and you wouldn't believe some of the progress I have seen. My favorite was watching a boy who wouldn't even go into the bathroom alone in the beginning of the school year washing his hands independently at the end of the year.

Lol @ calm talking. I will be honest, I have a very hard time with that one. I come from a loud italian/Irish family (who has no qualms about openly swearing lmao) so being calm isnt a natural ability. I have to use calm statements at my work so that helps me a lot at home, but I think on my own it wouldnt have happened.

Its truly a great method. If you need any tips or just want to chat feel free to message me. I'm always lurking.

I visited a Montessori preschool for work years ago and was so impressed with the kids! I will definitely look into this. Do you have suggestions on books?

Our daughter will be attending a certified Montessori child care center in August. We plan on implementing Montessori at home as well but as first time parents we aren't sure how that will all play out just yet.

@cbrady, I've never really used the books, but if you Google Montessori parenting there are a lot of great sites and tips.

@smikle it takes time, but what I really like about the approach is how customisable you can make it to your life.

I didn't know about this, but my husband and I use almost all these methods with my almost 3-year old. The funny thing is she naturally rejects any flashy toy that makes noise and lights up without a real purpose and prefers anything that is activity-based. She will turn anything into a building toy, loves puzzles, and pretend play. We are lucky we found such a wonderful daycare that work with her well. If she is having a rough day, they let her hang out with the babies to calm down. Recently they were learning about car washes, and they let the kids have an impromptu car wash with one of the teacher's cars on their weekly water day. The kids are all so bright and creative it amazes me.

I'm a super impatient person, which is even worse with the current lack of sleep, so that is difficult for me. It's not so much with the independent thing because I'm a big advocate of that, it's the not listening and being defiant for the sake of pushing my limits.