Continuing the circle of respect

I don't know where I've been for the past few months, but I've only just realized that Magda Gerber, the woman who coined the term "educarer" and wrote both Dear Parent: Caring for Infants with Respect and Your Self-Confident Baby: How to Encourage Your Child's Natural Abilities from the Very Start died on April 27th of this year. I have for some time been attracted to her honest, natural, respectful approach to interacting with wee ones. Her approach was the inspiration which led Teich and DeBravo-- both students of Gerber's RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers)-- to write Trees Make the Best Mobiles, a book which contains bite-sized meditations which were formative in the way both Ian and I think about parenthood today.

We don't have infants in the house any longer (*wistful sigh*), but her mantra of respect, mindfulness, and non competitiveness extends beyond infancy. So, in the spirit of Magda Gerber, I leave in her honor both one of her quotes and a short video. "Do less. Observe more. Enjoy most."