In the Habit of Homeschooling

As an incessant talker inside the walls of our home (as my quiet, trying-to-read husband would vouch), I’ve been thinking of how this will affect our wee one. Because I talk to her. I talk to her all day long, almost non-stop. I tell her where we’re about to go, what we’re about to do, I read her things I’m reading, we talk to the dog, we talk about the trees and the weather on our walks, we sing non-stop, and on and on it goes….  As I get sideways glances from time to time while we’re out, I second guess my talking to the baby in adult talk. Should I revert to goo-goos and gaa-gaas? Should I constantly be talking in a four-octave-higher-sing-songy voice? Or maybe the baby doesn’t even care/take any of it in. Perhaps I should defer until she’s able to respond and tell me how she’s feeling ("Not now Mama, enough!").

From time to time, I’ve been thinking of the affects this may have on her. Will we end up with a child who thinks that rambling on and on is how life is? Will I regret my approach when I can’t grasp thirty seconds of mama time from my to-be toddler? As we were baking Super Bowl Cook-Me-Nots yesterday afternoon, this thought came streaming in once again. She sat in her high chair beside the counter chewing on a spatula and I read her the recipes, talked about the ingredients, told her the measurements, stopped to show her the mixing process. We counted how many blobs we placed on the baking sheet as I let her fingers touch the texture of the gooey mess. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks- she’s learning! This incessant talking, this constant ramble, this mama’s voice that she hears all day is one that is teaching.  Babies are like sponges from the age of six months (if not earlier!) and that (the sponge stage) is when we start teaching them our cultural norms. I urge you to challenge that culture and start teaching as early as possible! Now that I’m looking at it in this light, our wee one is constantly learning through this adult talk (how to make a fire in our wood stove with Daddy, how the wind goes like waves through the trees, why we hang dry our diaper covers to not let the elastics dry out….). It is important to marry the talk with the time to learn with them. Don’t let our societal norms get in the way by telling you it’s someone else’s job. Rather have fun with your wee one, no matter the age difference between you, and get in the habit of homeschooling!

View some interesting links and an article on the Education Page.