HOW MONTESSORI PARENTING CHANGED MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER

I fell into Montessori naturally as I was striving to be the best parent I could be. Having a happy, healthy, independent, and confident child was my main goal and Montessori parenting helped me achieve this.

When my daughter was still a baby I was researching all the different natural parenting styles out there. I wanted to find what would work best for us. Which one would come naturally. And which one would be the most beneficial for my child in the long run.

Going all-in with Montessori parenting wasn’t an easy choice because none of my family or friends knew much about it. Most were supportive but there were a few naysayers who wanted to speak their mind. I didn’t let any of that deter me from what I knew in my heart was the right choice for us.

A pivotal moment that changed everything for me was when my daughter was about 10 months old. We had been semi practicing Montessori for a few months and then she decided that diaper changes just weren’t her thing. She literally kicked and screamed bloody murder at every. single. diaper change.

It was enough to make a parent really go crazy but luckily for us we had Montessori to fall back on. I just so happened to find an article talking about Montessori and diaper changes. In this article, it talked about respecting the child. Asking for their cooperation rather than just telling them to cooperate. I thought to myself this must be for older children. But I gave it a go anyway.

The very next diaper change I proceeded to respect my child by letting her know that it was time for a change. Asking her to join me and gently guiding her to our diaper change area. I then asked her for your cooperation in lifting her legs. I explained every single move I was making so she was aware of what was going to happen next.

I continued to do this for the next couple of diapers changes and…

SHE COOPERATED!

She not only stopped squirming around she actually was helping me by lifting her legs! It was a miracle!

A Montessori miracle!

This is when it all changed for me.

With a small mindset change, I was able to see the benefits of Montessori parenting almost instantly.

I’m not here to tell you Montessori is the easiest way to parent out there because it’s not. It takes patience and persistence but my gosh is it worth it!

Before I really went all in I found myself getting caught up in how overwhelming Montessori can be.

• Did I really know enough to be practicing Montessori?
• Was I Montessori enough?
• Can I even afford all these wooden toys?

Being Montessori isn’t what it might seem like. I thought I had to be doing activities 3 hours a day, rotating materials every day and setting a very strict routine.

By setting this mindset I was destined for failure. No way could I live up to my own Montessori expectations let alone the Pinterest perfect Montessori homes. What I eventually learned is that it’s ok to not be 100% every day all day. It’s ok to not know everything there is to know about Montessori. It’s ok to not do 3-hour work cycles.

Why?

Because I was practicing the core Montessori mindsets. These mindsets or principles were the exact reason I fell in love with Montessori in the first place when I started to respect my child at diaper change.

What I realized was that I was 100% Montessori just not in the way I thought I had to be. That’s when I looked at my home and my child and really noticed how beautiful it was. My daughter at the young age of 1 was well on her way to becoming a happy, healthy, independent, and confident child and that’s literally what I set out to find at the start!

Montessori parenting worked for us and there is no denying that it will work for your family too.

Have you experienced any of your own Montessori miracles? Let us know in the comments below!