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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Mommy's Turn
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Guest Article - Music in Childhood Builds Life Skills
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Well, I think I can call this one year of doing this newsletter. How did the time go by so quickly?
I have to admit, I do enjoy doing this quite a bit. That's key in any business, especially when you're working at home and have children about. It takes me about twice as long to do this newsletter as it might otherwise simply because I often stop to play with my daughter. How many jobs let you do that? It's definitely one of the best things about working at home.
Of course, the time comes when I have to sit and get things done, and we're working on that now. It's not easy for a two-year-old to understand sometimes that Mommy has to sit in front of the computer, but bit by bit she is learning.
I have to go lie down now. I'm just far enough along now in this pregnancy that once in a while I get a bit too much pressure on my stomach and diaphragm, to where I get some nausea and it's not terribly comfortable to breathe if I don't sit up absolutely straight at the computer. Time to go settle this kid into a more comfortable position. Another benefit of staying at home.
Don't forget, you can contribute your articles or tips anytime for consideration. Just use the contact form.
As a busy parent, you've learned to make bits of time for yourself. But sometimes it's hard to get important work done or finish a phone call because the kids want your attention.
Fortunately, even small children can learn when to give Mommy a chance to get things done, and you do not need to feel guilty about it. Telling your child that it is "Mommy's turn" teaches them that you get to do take turns just like they do.
You do not have to limit yourself to just work around the house or phone calls to take your turn either. If your child is interrupting your conversation with another person it can be a great way to gently remind a child that they are interrupting.
Once you are ready for your child, it is simply a matter of letting them take their turn. Most children will have to learn in daycare or school about taking turns; so why not take advantage of that or teach them early?
It can be easy to feel guilty about taking your turn. Many parents seem to feel almost as if they're doing something wrong if their entire day is not dedicated to their children. Not only is taking your turn practical, but it teaches your child a little discipline in waiting for their turn.
It's hard to know these days what you're supposed to be. So many parents are made to feel guilty if they don't dedicate their entire life to their children, have them in enough activities and so forth, that they never get to practice their parenting skills (especially the skill of saying "no") and their children never get to play just as children. There's simply too much to do to keep up with today's expectations of parents and children.
Always remember, it's not about being your child's best friend or playmate. It's about being the best parent you can be, and that means teaching them what they need to know and giving proper discipline.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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Love, respect, and appreciation for music are easy to share with our children and build life skills at the same time. During the first years of our child's life, musical skills build self-esteem and enhance expression. Musical rhythms spur motor development. Learning melodies and words stimulates listening capacity and help children develop receptive language. Specific areas of child development and learning are positively affected by exposure to and training in music. Preschoolers given piano and voice lessons, for example, have been found to improve dramatically in their ability to put together picture puzzles of animals. Playing the piano at the preschool age influences development of the cortex, the part of the brain used for thinking, talking, seeing, hearing, and creating. Music training contributes to the ability to learn or enhance mathematics skills.
Music clearly is a resource for living, growing, and learning and can be an integral part of our children's growing experiences.
Exploring Sound, Rhythm, Melody and Music
Music is controlled movement of sound, in time.
Music is three basic components: Sound + Rhythm + Melody = Music
Sound
To help children understand music, it is helpful to look at each component separately. First there is sound, one that we make or one from another source. A few examples of sound are a bird chirping, a teakettle whistling, and a child banging on a pot with a spoon. If music were compared to a painting, sound would be the background color. In our bodies, sound corresponds with our central nervous system. A pleasant sound opens and expands us. It can energize or calm us. A shrieking sound puts our nerves on edge. Like the background in a painting, sound is the first step in creating music.
Here are some ways to explore sound with our children.
· Have your children listen to the sounds around them. How many different sounds can they find in the kitchen or backyard?
· Encourage children to be creative making sounds. Have them use their voices or household objects to make sound. Allow them to make pretty, irritating, or silly sounds. They are all music if they reflect creative exploration or honest feelings.
The purpose for creating sound is not necessarily to make *beautiful music* but to foster self-expression and open up our children's ears to the world around them.
Rhythm
The second component of music is rhythm. Rhythm defines and organizes the sound through a beat. For example, is the whistling of the teakettle long and steady or short and choppy? Is the child's banging on the pot fast and upbeat or smooth and slow? In a painting, the rhythm would be the overall movement or flow of the composition. When you first look at the painting, where do your eyes go? Is the painting easy to look at or is it busy and annoying? This is its rhythm.
In our bodies, rhythm corresponds to our own internal body rhythm-our pulse and breath. If the musical beat is quick and steady, our heartbeat and body movements will mirror it. If we are tired, listening to African drumming can kick our body back into gear. On the other hand, if a two-year-old is running around out of control, slow rhythmic music like Bach or Vivaldi restores inner calm and slows most children down. Explore and add rhythm to the sounds that children make.
· Have your children play with different beats: fast, slow, steady, and erratic.
· Have them practice listening to the different rhythms around them, like the water dripping from the faucet or the ticking of a clock.
· Ask them if they can feel the vibration of a musical beat in their bodies, and if so, where? How do the different rhythms feel in their body? How do their feet want to move with the different beats?
· Try hand clapping to the rhythm of a poem and foot tapping to a favorite piece of music. These activities are every child's favorite, free entertainment.
Melody
Finally there is melody. Melody corresponds to our emotions. It gives sound
and rhythm its feeling and sensual quality. It is the part of music that expresses
the hills and valleys of an individual's experience. It goes straight to our
heart and feeling center. Melody can uplift our spirit, calm us during times
of stress, or move us to tears. Returning to the painting metaphor, melody
would be the overall feeling that the painting evokes as we look at it. Does
the painting draw us in and create a feeling of peace, excitement, distress,
or discomfort? Introducing melody to the earlier sounds and rhythms will
help children learn self-expression.
· Have them hum a tune or create a melody, adding emotion to sound.
· Experiment expressing sounds that are emotional: happy, sad, funny, etc.
Melody turns a sound into a personal and unique statement. By playing with sound, rhythm and melody our children discover a new vocabulary and tool to use for expression when words are hard to find.
We can use creativity and imagination to choose different styles of music by which our children can express their feelings, relax, stimulate their minds or allow their creative juices to flow. A variety of selections, rhythms, tones, and melodies allows children to develop their own musical tastes and sparks their natural curiosity to explore the world of music on their own.
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Dr. Caron Goode is a parenting expert who speaks and writes about how parents can nurture their children's gift. Go to http://www.InspiredParenting.net to order *Nurture Your Child's Gift, Inspired Parenting,* and sign up for the online parenting magazine. To discover your personal parenting styles, click on the Four Tool Every Parent Needs
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