““The mere blessed fact of the parental relationship and of that authority which belongs to it, by right and by nature, acts upon the children as do sunshine and shower on a seed in good soil. But the fussy parent, the anxious parent, the parent who explains overmuch, who commands overmuch, who excuses overmuch, who restrains overmuch, who interferes overmuch, even the parent who is with the children overmuch, does away with the dignity and simplicity of that relationship.”” ~Charlotte Mason
Are you a fussy anxious parent?
We have all seen this type of mom. The mom that claims she is guiding but is controlling. From Legos to crafts to textbooks the mom is controlling or restraining the child. She is so scheduled and impeccable that no creativity and imagination are allowed. She is not beside the child but in front of the child so no exploration can take place. Her intentions are rooted in good. She wants to protect, shelter, and put her child on the right path. Sadly, she also feels the need to drive the child along the path making no rest stops and driving directly from point A to point B with no extraneous speaking, singing or play. If her children were growing in a garden she would block out the sun for fear her children would burn or overwater for fear the children would thirst. Either way she would prevent growth.
Children need to be nurtured not coddled. They need time to explore, use their imagination and practice creativity. Children need time to process all they have been taught by playing without retraining rules or expectations. Of course, children need to be under the watchful eye of an alert parent. However, an alert parent is not a smothering parent. To instill a love of learning and foster creativity there are times you need to watch from a distance.