Montessori at Home: Waiting with Respect

I love working with families. My work with parents is one of my favorite parts about my work in the classroom. This has not always been the case. I used to dread conversations with parents (especially difficult conversations) and parent conferences used to make me feel anxious. I soon realized that my work with families directly impacts my work with the children each day. I came to love conversations with parents, even the most difficult conversations. As a classroom teacher, I hear the phrase “why isn’t my kid?” quite a bit. Why isn’t my kid reading? Why isn’t my kid writing their name? Why isn’t my kid quite as articulate as their cousin? 

A big part of Montessori education is waiting. We wait for the child to be ready for the next presentation. We wait for the child to show an interest in sounds and letters. We watch with a keen eye and we wait. This same waiting applies to parenting.  Dr. Montessori said, “We are to offer to this life, which came into the world by itself, the means necessary for development, and having done that, we must wait for this development with respect.” In what areas are you feeling a bit impatient with your child’s development? How can you wait for this development “with respect”?