Thanks, Gem, this is wonderful. I love the idea of Poetry Teatime. Poetry seems to go down quite well in our house. Unless it's mine, in which case my children aren't the biggest fans. Tough crowd.
Thanks for reading and commenting Sam, I really appreciate it! Lol they often are the toughest crowd aren't they. Keep sharing, they may not appreciate your art now but I'm sure they will in the future, and it's great they have role model for it at home :-)
Oh my goodness, Gem. Your work is so inspiring! My little one is still in his first year but this gives me so many ideas of how I might relate to him as he develops more communication skills. Thank you for sharing your wisdom 🙏🏼 Given the time of the year, we’ve been thinking a lot about how we would like to approach the FC topic. We also really want to emphasize the magic, family time, and attention to seasonality. We recently got a handmade cloth advent calendar that we have put notes with activities and little treats in. For us, it felt like a good way to make the month feel special, without building up the 25th too much. I’m wondering though: I know a lot of people in our lives (family especially) will be emphasizing FC in their interactions with our son, and likely won’t understand our approach. Any suggestions for communication to them? Thanks again for your brilliant work 🙏🏼
Ayla, I'm so thrilled to hear you have are getting value from my writing and sharing 🙏 It really makes it all worthwhile 😊
Ah yes, a big question and not the easiest thing to navigate. One thing for sure is you will not be able to stop all the random people talking to him about FC! But possibly with close family and friends you may have more success if you clearly explain your ethos to them and gently ask that they respect it by doing xyz. It will be a slow process and the great thing is you have a couple of years to really embed what it is you want to create as a family for your own traditions and get clear on the reasons behind that, before your son starts to become more aware (in a cognitive sense I mean).
For me, I was able to explain as we went along to my Mum who is our closest family but also "gets me" the most, and that eased quite a lot of pressure. Other family members I think still don't really get it but have received the message not to hype on about it and that's fine by us. I think hearing the language you use with your son over time models to them how to approach it. Friendships with other families over the years have become more aligned so there is a general softer approach around us than many others go in for. I think wider folk are a bit baffled and think we're a bit cruel and bah humbug but it doesn't really matter they think.
I remember we used to say to my daughter that "the spirit of Christmas" visited us all on xmas eve, and that this particular magic was about giving and joy. That seemed to work alongside her increasingly hearing about FC from external sources, because without explicitly saying it, I think she has internalised the idea that he is a very famous archetype of that energy. It's personal choice of course, and depends how big one's exposure and circle is, but we have been fortunate to keep our daughters' orbit relatively small and quiet and we've chosen not to show her xmas films etc (just recently starting to explore some of the literary classics like A Christmas Carol and we might watch a musical version of that this year).
Hope some of that helps and I'm always here for further chats 🤗
Thanks so much for your advice, Gem. Sometimes it feels difficult being the “black sheep” of our family so to speak in terms of our parenting choices. But I liked what you said about friendship and family relationships becoming more aligned over the years. That gives me hope. I also really love the idea of the spirit of Christmas. There are so many archetypes that can fit into that idea. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Thank you, dear Gem for these ideas! Poetry...who reads that nowadays? I love that you brought up Poetry Teatime. Kids need poetry. My father used to read poems to me when I was a kid and believe me, those are the memories that I cherish the most. And I like the fact that you told us about your daily schedule, because there are many parents who try to homeschool their kids and they do not know how to do it or they go back to the same old traditional school style. It is overwhelming for many. I hope I make sense, English is not my first language :)
You make perfect sense! Thank you for the lovely supportive comment :-) So special that you have those memories of poetry with your Dad. Yes, I think it is easy to dismiss in this day and age, but as you found, it can be a really great, simple and fun way to engage with literature with your children. I'm leaning in where I was initially a bit unsure! And yes I feel it is good for us to share how our days and weeks actually look, so that others can learn from them that home education does not (should not?!) have to look anything like a school timetable.
Thanks, Gem, this is wonderful. I love the idea of Poetry Teatime. Poetry seems to go down quite well in our house. Unless it's mine, in which case my children aren't the biggest fans. Tough crowd.
Thanks for reading and commenting Sam, I really appreciate it! Lol they often are the toughest crowd aren't they. Keep sharing, they may not appreciate your art now but I'm sure they will in the future, and it's great they have role model for it at home :-)
Oh my goodness, Gem. Your work is so inspiring! My little one is still in his first year but this gives me so many ideas of how I might relate to him as he develops more communication skills. Thank you for sharing your wisdom 🙏🏼 Given the time of the year, we’ve been thinking a lot about how we would like to approach the FC topic. We also really want to emphasize the magic, family time, and attention to seasonality. We recently got a handmade cloth advent calendar that we have put notes with activities and little treats in. For us, it felt like a good way to make the month feel special, without building up the 25th too much. I’m wondering though: I know a lot of people in our lives (family especially) will be emphasizing FC in their interactions with our son, and likely won’t understand our approach. Any suggestions for communication to them? Thanks again for your brilliant work 🙏🏼
Ayla, I'm so thrilled to hear you have are getting value from my writing and sharing 🙏 It really makes it all worthwhile 😊
Ah yes, a big question and not the easiest thing to navigate. One thing for sure is you will not be able to stop all the random people talking to him about FC! But possibly with close family and friends you may have more success if you clearly explain your ethos to them and gently ask that they respect it by doing xyz. It will be a slow process and the great thing is you have a couple of years to really embed what it is you want to create as a family for your own traditions and get clear on the reasons behind that, before your son starts to become more aware (in a cognitive sense I mean).
For me, I was able to explain as we went along to my Mum who is our closest family but also "gets me" the most, and that eased quite a lot of pressure. Other family members I think still don't really get it but have received the message not to hype on about it and that's fine by us. I think hearing the language you use with your son over time models to them how to approach it. Friendships with other families over the years have become more aligned so there is a general softer approach around us than many others go in for. I think wider folk are a bit baffled and think we're a bit cruel and bah humbug but it doesn't really matter they think.
I remember we used to say to my daughter that "the spirit of Christmas" visited us all on xmas eve, and that this particular magic was about giving and joy. That seemed to work alongside her increasingly hearing about FC from external sources, because without explicitly saying it, I think she has internalised the idea that he is a very famous archetype of that energy. It's personal choice of course, and depends how big one's exposure and circle is, but we have been fortunate to keep our daughters' orbit relatively small and quiet and we've chosen not to show her xmas films etc (just recently starting to explore some of the literary classics like A Christmas Carol and we might watch a musical version of that this year).
Hope some of that helps and I'm always here for further chats 🤗
Thanks so much for your advice, Gem. Sometimes it feels difficult being the “black sheep” of our family so to speak in terms of our parenting choices. But I liked what you said about friendship and family relationships becoming more aligned over the years. That gives me hope. I also really love the idea of the spirit of Christmas. There are so many archetypes that can fit into that idea. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Awww. This is all so lovely and sweet :) Happy Xmas!
Ah thank you so much! Merry Christmas to you and your family too 🤗
Thank you, dear Gem for these ideas! Poetry...who reads that nowadays? I love that you brought up Poetry Teatime. Kids need poetry. My father used to read poems to me when I was a kid and believe me, those are the memories that I cherish the most. And I like the fact that you told us about your daily schedule, because there are many parents who try to homeschool their kids and they do not know how to do it or they go back to the same old traditional school style. It is overwhelming for many. I hope I make sense, English is not my first language :)
You make perfect sense! Thank you for the lovely supportive comment :-) So special that you have those memories of poetry with your Dad. Yes, I think it is easy to dismiss in this day and age, but as you found, it can be a really great, simple and fun way to engage with literature with your children. I'm leaning in where I was initially a bit unsure! And yes I feel it is good for us to share how our days and weeks actually look, so that others can learn from them that home education does not (should not?!) have to look anything like a school timetable.