Sherry's Child Training Series

[Linnea]

My kids have been doing their own laundry since they were 8 or 10. Their own, not the whole family's. That way, if what they want to wear isn't clean, they have no one to blame but themselves.

The "Training" to sit still and be quiet worries me. First of all, I don't believe it can be done as well or easily as she says. But even if it can, why do it? You're teaching your kids to zone out and be passive, instead of engaging and interacting with the world around them, which is what they need to do in order to learn.

[kb2]

I went to a Montessori school for pre-K and kindergarten, and they had a no talking at lunch rule. It was supposed to teach you self-control, I think. I remember playing a lot of charades instead--I don't think there was a no-charades rule as long as you didn't speak out loud and stayed in your seat. Of course, the entire rest of the day was more unstructured--there was no other time where you had to stay in a seat and be quiet. I was only five or younger, but I'm pretty sure nap time didn't last three hours.