Hey, Guess What?!! You Already ARE the Perfect Parent!!

If you’re like me, you are your own worst critic. And there is no badge of honor in that, even though we have been brought up to believe it is so. You deserve the same “break” you are wanting your child to be given. And it has to start with you doing it for yourself, since you are their primary teacher. Ease up a little, and give yourself some validation. You deserve it!

Compassionate Listening = Listening to Ourselves with Compassion

The reason why I created a non violent preschool for my son, and the reason why I am on the hunt for a humanitarian school (or at the very least a compassionate teacher) for his elementary school experience, is completely selfish: I was a troubled child. I was the hard one. I had BIG emotions, and they were usually not understood. (OK, I admit it…I am STILL the troubled child, and I STILL have BIG emotions!)

Taking A Step Back

We all know that our children are not reflections of us, but every once in a while we get tricked into that lie again! It sneaks in, and we spring into RE-action, rather than mindful response. That way of “reflective” thinking is a trap that often leads us to seek approval from the random parents around us. It can throw us into a tizzy of self-judgment: Oh my gosh my child is screaming….

The Knowing Garden Open Enrollment for 2012-2013 School Year!

We are pleased to announce that The Knowing Garden Open Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year will begin on Tuesday November 1, 2011
and will run through Friday, February 17, 2012. Enrollment for the 2011 year is on-going. We hope you will join one of our Parent Information Nights
which will be held in our classroom at St.Andrew’s Church in Redondo Beach.

Today’s Educational World

Many parents don’t realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Schools and class sizes used to be smaller, dropout rates lower, in-school violence almost unheard of, and teachers weren’t terrified of showing affection to their students, or of discussing moral values. Of course, even then, school was far from perfect, but at least the teachers—and usually the principal—knew every student by name, something that is increasingly rare today.

Why Be Your Own Worst Critic??



If you’re like me, you are your own worst critic. And there is no badge of honor in that, even though we have been brought up to believe it is so. You deserve the same “break” you are wanting your child to be given. And it has to start with you doing it for yourself, since you are their primary teacher. Ease up a little, and give yourself some validation. You deserve it! 

If you are reading this, you are among the top 10% of people in the world who are in some stage of waking up. You are a special person, and a special parent, who has chosen to bring really special children into the world. And you have chosen a harder path to take in raising them. This way is much more difficult and less “efficient” than the mainstream way which uses punishment and rewards as a way to control behavior. And it will pay off both in your own relationship with your children, and also in your gift to the world, because you will have helped create a really great human being…

THINGS THAT COME UP AT SCHOOL – a workshop on getting through homework with positive connections

The Knowing Garden, along with Melody Elder M.A. E.d. is hosting a Parenting
Workshop on Monday, Oct 17th. The subject is “Things That Come Up At School”
and it focuses on getting through lessons and homework with positive connections
as well as being the best advocate you can be for your student.

All families are welcome. Please click here for information and
registration: http://knowinggarden.org/parenting-workshop/

Growing Through the Pain

My son Kian has always been good at conjuring up plans… but bringing them to life is another matter entirely. The pieces wouldn’t fit, the parts would fall off, or the wheels would not turn. His grand visions just needed his building expertise to catch up a little more…. and his ensuing frustration would start to leak out sideways, screaming like steam from a kettle. It was impossible for me to ignore: his loud keening was a veritable curse to the gods. It penetrated me. I could feel his chafing frustration in my heart, seeping in like hot oil. It would sit and simmer then, until something would finally snap. There was no turning back! I would lose all control, and spring into “Fix It Mode!”

The Thrill of (vicarious) Success

It is so hard, as a parent, not to be seduced by the thrill of having our child “succeed.” And what exactly defines “success?” In early childhood, we often judge success on how much a child knows. This leads many parents to put their children into “academic” programs that focus on abstract knowledge, rather than experiential, play-based programs

Parenting Workshop: Oh Siblings!

“I secretly believed that sibling rivalry was something that happened to other people’s children. Somewhere in my brain lay the smug thought that I could outsmart the green-eyed monster by never doing any of the obvious things that all the other parents did to make their kids jealous of each other. I’d never compare, never take sides, never play favorites. If both boys knew they were loved equally, there might be a little squabble now and then, but what would they really have to fight about?

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