By the age of three, about 85% of the brain has developed. Those are crucial years. I’ve taught at the preschool level and learned first-hand how little value those years have been given. There should be plenty of funding and support for these years.
Building a Child’s Self-Esteem (to age 2)
I like to read about ways to improve myself, including the area of parenting. In the parenting world, building the self-esteem of my preteen son and one-year-old daughter is important to me. Here are some points I’ve gleaned:
My Daughter Turns 1
My adorable daughter, Maya, turned one on February 8. We spread out her birthday celebration, doing different activities to accommodate her schedule. I am sharing some photos of this time period.
The Four Agreements
One of the nicest collection of words on living life is by Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements. I keep the summary of the agreements in sight near my desk. I am sharing this summary verbatim. It wouldn’t hurt to read these agreements at the start of our days.
Blood-draw From Hell
Today is my daughter’s 1st birthday! In celebration, or rather, in poor planning, we had scheduled her one year doctor’s appointment this morning. She had a few vaccinations at the doctor’s appointment and then we were sent nearby for a blood-draw. We frantically tried to use her numbing ointment wherever we were told she would be pricked, but there seemed to be a disconnect between where we were told her blood-draw would be and where it ended up, so she didn’t have the ointment in the right place.
Instructions for Life (from the Dalai Lama)
This is an oldie but still relevant, with the start of 2010:
1. Take into account that great love and great achievement involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.