If you were to ask me two years ago if I could see myself where I am now, I would probably laugh and scoff at you. I would probably tell you that raising children up the Montessori way will only make them weak.
Boy was I wrong!
Montessori has changed my life and my family’s. It actually raises children up to be strong by helping them regulate their emotions, letting them have a voice, allowing them to make their own choices, and to know that they are loved through it all. It has created a safe space for my children and for my husband and I.
Montessori can work for anyone! All you have to do is to do your research on how to adopt the Montessori lifestyle into your daily life. There are so many resources out there now that you can find to help you on your journey into Montessori.
Be forewarned: Montessori isn’t for everyone because to be completely honest with you, it’s sometimes the hardest way to parent. I know this doesn’t sound appealing but what I mean by this is that, Montessori doesn’t teach you how to control your child’s emotions but it actually teaches YOU how to control your own emotions. This means to take responsibility and accountability for your own actions. You can’t expect your child to be calm if you’re not calm. Your child is following your example. When they see that you are calm, they will also become calm. This has been one of the hardest journeys amongst Montessori I’ll have to say but it has undone so much generational trauma that I can’t help but be grateful to this method. I won’t write this and say that I haven’t lost my cool because I have, I’m only human but I take it as a learning and teaching moment for myself on how to handle the situation better in the future.
Montessori is more about the child leading rather than the parent leading. This means to allow to child to choose what toy they want to play with and what activity they want to work on instead of being told what to do and when.
Montessori allows your child to find their independence all still the while needing your support, help, and encouragement. There is so much more to Montessori that what I’ve outlined here but I’m so grateful for it. This is something I want to definitely pass down for many generations to come!
Sincerely,
Melissa Lee