Some Good Advice to Young Parents

"When I look around my classroom I couldn't tell you who crawled first, who walked before one or spoke in sentences by 15 months.  I can't tell you if their parents breastfed or bottle fed. No clue if they still wear pull-ups at night, because I'm sure many do!  I don't know if they potty trained at 18 months or 4 years old. I don't know if their mom ever left them to cry it out for a few minutes or if they strapped them to their bodys 24/7.  you know what I can tell when I look at my kids?  I can tell which families value kindness and manners in their homes.  I can tell when a child feels loved and secure at home (and at school, which,  sadly isn't always everyone's school experience!) I know who has pizza and movie Friday nights and which mom reads in different voices for bedtimes.  I see how kids handle scary situations like thunderstorms. I can see who has a solid routine at home and who has chores and responsibilities.  I can hear how you speak to your children by how they speak to others. When I look at my little friends I don't see their milestones, I see who they are: their heart, their actions, their inner voice, their struggles and triumps, and I see you; and all the love you pour into them. We are always supposed to talk about testing and benchmarks and data during parent teacher conferences and I had a mom last time look at me and say "I don't worry about all the reading and math, she will get there. I want to know...how is she, as a person? Is she kind? Does she include others?"

That took my breath away and is something that will always stick with me!!!

Go easy on yourselves mamas, just love your little ones...it's all they need."