To Homeschool or Not

So I just finished an exciting Montessori training certificate program for 3-6 years children with Montessori Center Ghana a product of Early Years Company Ltd. Ghana and I’m very excited.

The program confirmed a lot of things about child care that I had been battling with. How much freedom is ok for the child? How do you teach your child to be independent and to care for him/herself? How do you empathise with the child so he or she doesn’t have to resort to emotional blackmail but to learn to communicate appropriately? The summary of all the discussion for me was parents and care givers must focus on equipping the child with what he/she will need to aid his/her development. An understanding of the child’s sensitive periods: when they have a strong desire, drive , to achieve some developmental milestone was very insightful. The environment is, thus, very key in making the child who he or she has been created by God to be. I was totally awed.

With this knowledge I have become extremely excited about homeschooling my daughter who is 15 months old. Now some arguments have been raised in favor of this move. I have dreams of starting a school at some point in time in my life so I believe this is a great opportunity for me to build experience. Well, what better occasion than with my own child and later children ;). Apart from the fact that it has become extremely expensive to take your child to preschool in Ghana the quality of education is really not standardised and the ones that are close to my expectations are way – out – there in price.  I can use the same amount to get great materials for my daughter at home and I always reuse for her siblings later. Finally I give myself the opportunity to bond with her on deeper levels and prepare her for life which is just great for her as she grows older and life begins to happen.

Arguments against it are major but we’ll see. The first on the list is I need another source of income to buffer this decision. Buying materials for learning is very important on that list. I can manage making some of the things myself but I still believe I have to get some things and that is the headache. The second is a venue. My residence is out of the question; let’s say ‘it’s just complicated’. Lool. I have help so that point is cancelled. Every other point is not as solid for me as the ones above so I’ll pass. 😉

Now if I chance on a place where I’m assured of an enabling environment within my budget I might consider but I’m really game for homeschooling and I pray I do it and excel at it to attract other parents.

I’m out 😉

This entry was posted on September 2, 2015. 4 Comments

From Breastfeeding To Solids

I exclusively breastfed my daughter for 6 months.

While doing that I remember having a lot of pressure from loving family members to start introducing her to other sources of nutrients apart from breastmilk so that weaning her won’t be difficult. I succumbed!!! Hmm

Our first try was milk. We chose a brand based on ‘popular request’. Lol. She hated it. I tried over and over again but she wouldn’t budge. Finally one of the days I forced it down her throat and she drank some amidst crying. ‘But she must start having something else apart from breastmilk’ or so I was made to believe. About five to ten minutes later she throws up everything through her nose and mouth. I was totally freaking out. ‘Oh my God what have I done. I’m going to kill this girl.’ She was choking and screaming her lungs out. P.S. She’s more dramatic than I am. And oh i know I’m very dramatic. I managed to calm her down, wiped and changed her and gave her what she wanted: Breastmilk.

But really she was fine. And that was the last time she allowed me to force something she didn’t want down her throat. Hahahahaaaaa.

Over the one year period she has moved from drinking only breastmilk to eating porridge, only custard, cerelac, rice etc. We have tried a lot of things. Now, she’s a year old and, all of a sudden she eats anything so far as it’s not too sugary or peppery. Her sensitivity to refining her sense of taste is on the rise now and I’m enjoying it. We spend very little time on meals: 10 to 20 minutes tops and we’re done. This is in contrast with 35 to 45 minutes earlier.

Immediately she sees you with a plate of food she says ‘aaaammm’ and she’ll wait patiently until she’s offered some. She’ll keep coming back for more if she likes it. Other times she turns away just by the smell of the food. And then again they’re times she just takes the first bite and that’s it. On days she’s full, it’s a sensory activity for her.  She’ll play with the food: mashing it between her fingers,  on the floor and anything else that’s within her reach.

She still loves custard. She enjoys rice with corned beef or dried ground herrings stew. She eats fufu and light soup and enjoys banku with okro stew as well. Cerelac, bottled processed foods, banana and pawpaw smoothie, purried vegetables and Irish potatoes are all in the mix somewhere. Lool.

What’s my take on feeding your child. Decide on the kind of baby you want to have: healthy, obese, underweight,  overweight,  etc. Think about how much it will cost you to care for the baby you’ve chosen. Discuss it with your spouse or a close relative who has the child’s interest at heart.  They usually have a better perspective on the matter because guess what?  They don’t have anyone to impress and are not thinking overly.

The baby is yours so trust your instincts if it doesn’t feel right then maybe it really is not right. But again, a second opinion is usually a good idea when you’re not too sure. And not every advise is good for your child.

I’m out 😉

Welcome Mummy

Being a first mum can be very scary and a lot of fun as well. This blog is to share my experiences, difficulties, challenges, etc with having our lovely daughter.

Being a trained Montessori care giver I will also share my observations with you, my most cherished audience on this blog.

Stay tuned for lovely, tearful, sober, etc times.

I’m out! 😉

This entry was posted on January 29, 2015. 1 Comment