fbpx

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Carl Honoré author of: In Praise of Slow and Under Pressure (affiliate links), speak on “Slow Parenting”. He addressed the fast paced world in which we live and the negative impact it is having on our children. He also addressed the common mistake of over-scheduling our children.

Although my husband and I already take a “slow” approach with our children, Carl’s talk reaffirmed my/our choices as parents. This posting includes pictures from our weekend of “slow”, some of the most memorable quotes from his presentation and how his speech relates to my own family.

“Childhood has become a race to perfection.”

I don’t want my children to feel they have to be perfect. I want them to be happy with who they are. Yes it’s a competitive world with a competitive job market. Yes our children need to be educated but education goes beyond multiple extracurricular activities, books and memorization… it includes a confidence and a comfort in being their own person. It includes a passion for something… not necessarily exposure to everything.

“Children are almost being raised in captivity.”

I want my children to see and experience the world in a real way… not just through television, movies, the internet or apps. I want them to be able touch, feel and experience life – fully and completely.

“When you give your child the best of everything, you are denying them the opportunity to learn how to make the best of what they’ve got.”

Toys. Electronics. Media. Social activities. They don’t need it all. How many times have you heard of a child opening a gift and having more fun with the box than the gift itself? Family, nature, a few treasured items, our time and our attention… these are the best “gifts” that we can give our children.

That is my Magic of the Mundane this week. Slow. Enjoying every second, every minute, and every moment….

If you’re interested in Carl Honoré, he has a 20 minute video presentation on Ted Talks which can be accessed through this link.



SHARE WITH OTHERS

Jennifer Bly on FacebookJennifer Bly on InstagramJennifer Bly on PinterestJennifer Bly on Twitter
Jennifer Bly
Jennifer Bly
Author of My Kitchen, My Classroom: An Introduction to Homeschool and creator of The Deliberate Mom. Jennifer writes about parenting, homeschooling, her faith, and life with her husband and two girls. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Applied Human Service Administration Degree with a specialization in Early Learning in Child Care.



Cookies are disabled. This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Click the ACCEPT COOKIES button to enable cookies. LEARN MORE

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close

Cookies are disabled
Accept Cookies by clicking "ACCEPT COOKIES" button.