I know I talk a lot about cultivating independence in children (perhaps too much?). And it’s funny. Before learning about Montessori, I wouldn’t have been one to tout independence as a core value for which to strive (except maybe when I was majorly obsessed with the philosopher Ayn Rand when I was in high school). 

According to my understanding of Montessori philosophy, independence isn’t the end goal; it’s just the vehicle that drives the child’s formation of self. 

In the earliest years of life, Henry is forming his understanding of the world, but he is also building the core of his personality. I

My schedule is about to undergo an exciting shift. Instead of working four days a week from 8am-12:15pm (with the remaining hours in the evenings at home), I’m going to work three days a week from 6am-12pm (with the remaining hours in the evenings at home). Of course 6am is not a particularly desirable time to get to work (I have to get up at 5:15am), but getting off at 12 and having two free days is amazing. 

The shift started this past week. I was off Wednesday and Friday. Normally, Matt gets Henry up, helps him get ready, and takes him to daycare. But since he had to travel

Kylie wrote the nicest post about our book collaboration yesterday (well, I’m not really sure which day it was, since the time difference between the United States and Australia is pretty discombobulating to me).

Then in her most recent post, she linked to a video of Henry peeling a banana. Coincidentally, I had just filmed a new video of him peeling a banana. His independence is growing every day. It’s the sweetest thing to watch. 

I took Henry out to lunch for some Ethiopian food with colleagues today. One of my friend’s said, “Henry seems so independent and comfortable.” I explained that it’s probably because we implement Montessori in