Jonathan was inspired to make his own math book yesterday when he saw me with a worksheet at the table.
1. Live with passion.
2. Scatter books around your home with intention--a few here, a few there--begging for little hands to pick them up.
3. If you want your child to do something, do it yourself first--with excitement. This goes for everything from chores to math to reading to making dinner. Attitude, your own, matters more than almost any other factor.
4. Respect your child as a person, providing firm boundaries but plenty of freedom to become who they are meant to be.
5. Turn off the televison, and protect your kids from advertising and the commercialization of childhood.
6. Encourage them to go outside in all kinds of weather. Bundle up and go yourself, too. Nature is inspiring.
7. Remember that life is not a journey to be endured, but is a gift to be unwrapped. Allow yourself to see it anew through your child's eyes.
