michael's blog > play

Respect or Overindulgent

Posted on Fri, 05/04/2018 - 14:07

I often wonder; what is the difference between spoiling a child and honoring their reality? Where does respect end and overindulgence begin? If Carly doesn’t like something on her plate, should we insist she eat it? Does respecting her necessarily imply that we should prepare Mac & Cheese every night because that is what she says she likes and therefore wants? When she says ‘no’ to getting ready for bed should we wait until she is ready or become indignant; “How dare you talk to me that way. I say it is time for bed!”

Themes: 
play
storytelling
parenting

Enlightenment Is…

Posted on Fri, 09/30/2016 - 11:06

Some did not recieve Enlightment is...
We are resending.

mm

I hope every parent is knocked off their chair by the astonishing capacity their child exhibits every day. Recall – 700 new neural connections every second and each branch touches 10,000 to 20,000 other branches. Unbelievable! The environment is the teacher. Life, the senses, relationship and now names (times two) is the curriculum.

Themes: 
play
Optimum development
parenting

The Developping Brain Part Two

Posted on Sat, 04/02/2016 - 09:58

The Anatomy of Joy with Jaak Panksepp, PhD

Jaak Panksepp, PhD, Emeritus Professor of the Department of Psychology at Bowling Green State University. Panksepp coined the term 'affective neuroscience', the name for the field that studies the neural mechanisms of emotion. "We finally got a handle on the nature of psychological pain, which is very important for depression and other psychiatric disorders.  And then we said well there must be something fundamental about the social principal that is in the arena of joy.  What would it be? And the answer was obvious that it must be playfulness.

Themes: 
brain
brain development
emotions
play

Beans, Beans and More Beans

Posted on Sat, 10/10/2015 - 07:24

Happiness is the ultimate wisdom and my goal, whenever I’m with Carly Elizabeth, is to be as wise as possible. My care and affection for Carly is so innocent and reciprocal that I find it unimaginable how anyone could harm, neglect, punish, embarrass, judge, compare, spank, scold or shame a young child, but they do, every day in every neighborhood all over the globe. Innocence implies trust and that trust assumes complete nurturing. And by nurturing I don’t mean pandering or spoiling. Carly climbs the wooden stairs by herself. By nurturing I mean staying close so she feels safe and can give complete attention to the challenge of the moment.

Themes: 
play
parenting

The Play Look

Posted on Sun, 05/17/2015 - 12:25

Between Crawling & Walking

Calry Elizabeth is like a little CSI tank or bulldozer chugging across the floor, reaching, investigating, touching and tasting everything on the path, relentlessly. She makes my usual twelve to fourteen hour day look like a nap. The mama nurturing, papa playing dynamic now begins to shows its teeth. Not being ‘in arms’ means great new vistas to explore with related dangers. Mama hovers and protects while papa temps and encourages, a beautiful Yin/Yang set of complimenting balances, not always but in general this is the case.

Themes: 
play
parenting

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