Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

Magda Gerber

"By closely supervising our infants, by allowing them to do what they are capable of, by restraining ourselves from rescuing them too often, by waiting and waiting and waiting, by giving minimal help when they really need it, we allow our infants to learn and grow at their own time and in their own way. I believe that, no matter how much and how fast the world changes, a well-grounded, competent, and confident person is best equipped to adapt to it. This is our goal". 
~ Magda Gerber

Magda Gerber was a childhood educator & a passionate advocate for both infants and parents. Her goal was to make parenting easier and more enjoyable, while revolutionizing the way infants and toddlers are seen, interacted with and cared for. Her method was based on waiting and allowing children to learn and develop naturally at their own pace & treating infants with respect. 

Gerber was born in Hungary & received a degree in linguistics at the Sorbonne in France. Her inspiration came from pediatrician Emmi Pikler. Pikler's innovative theories on infant care were successfully tested during her tenure as medical director of a state-run orphanage in Budapest. Gerber incorporated many of Pikler's theories into her own philosophy, which she termed RIE (pronounced "wry") or Resources for Infant Educarers. 

Gerber emigrated with her family to the United States in 1957, and developed and directed the Pilot Infant Program at the Dubnoff School. In 1973 she began teaching parent/infant classes, and in 1980 she founded the RIE Center in Los Angeles.

The Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) co-founded by the late Magda Gerber and Tom Forrest, M.D in 1978, is a non-profit membership organization aimed at raising the standards of infant care and education through parent and caregiver education.

The RIE philosophy is based on respecting infants as if they were fully functioning: spending quality time with them, learning their individual ways of communicating,  involving them in the things that concern them, being honest with them, not treating them like objects, and allowing them to try to solve a problem without adult interference.

The term educarer, which she also coined, refers to either a parent or other caregiver, and emphasizes the role that they play in both caring and educating.

I highly recommend her books. Whether you are a parent, yoga teacher, classroom educator or other child professional; whether you work with infants, children or teens, there is something for each of us to learn from Magda's approach.

Sources:
Magdagerber.org
Wikipedia
www.rie.org/about/our-founder

Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com  

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Flexibility & Patience-Priceless Gifts

Today on my walk I was thinking of how lucky I am to have a supportive family.

In spite of my easy going, non-confrontational nature, there are many things about me that require flexible thinking and patience on the part of anyone who knows/loves/lives with me.

On the outside, I am the children's yoga teacher, always ready to be creative & have fun, however, this comes with a price & I know I am probably not the easiest person to live with.

Last week I stopped at the store to pick up some supplies for a yoga camp program. While I was there, I was very excited to see some some items that I could use for a different class.  I hesitated a moment and could not remember what I had at home and I did not want to buy double so I called Jay, my significant other at home to find out. The conversation went like this:

Me:  [excitedly]: Hi honey! you know those big plastic bugs in my office? The ones on top of the Tabla drum and next to the basket of paper plate African masks?

(At this point another customer looked at me strangely...)

Jay: [sigh]: yes...?

Me: I'm at the store. can you see which ones I have already so I don't buy duplicates?

Jay: [silence]:

Me: Babe are you there?

Jay: [blandly]: I'm here...

Me: You see them?

Jay: Uh huh. There is an orange ant, a green beetle with a spike on its head, a tarantula and a gray-blue looking beetle kind of thing...

Me: OK. No Lady bug, grasshopper or bumblebee?

(More strange looks from customers.)

Jay: No. None of those.

Me: Thanks-be home in a bit...

Ok. I know. Its weird. I am ok with weird. While many women my age are excited about Pottery Barn sales & who won on Dancing with the Stars, I get excited about giant plastic bugs. I just can't help it.

My family however, sometimes does not share my enthusiasm. I can't blame them really, especially when the dining table is covered with paint, glue and paper mache and its almost time to eat. Or when they find little grains of colored rice on the floor with their bare feet. Or there are a dozen yoga mats are drying all over the yard killing the grass and  when there are twisted staples, tiny beads & glitter all over the living room floor from a project gone wrong. I can see them shake their heads & roll their eyes and chuckle. Then they see the rain sticks I made, or the colorful mosaics when they are completed or see me put the giant bugs to use in a class or family event. Then they 'get' me, relax a little & see that I am not merely an overgrown child who likes to collect imaginary creatures & make a mess, but there is definitely a purpose & a method to it all.

While most see a freakishly large, tacky dust-collecting piece of plastic that will no doubt pollute the environment someday, and Jay sees dollar bills flying out of our piggy bank and another closet being taken over for "storage", I see the beauty & the GIANT educational potential of simple, tacky looking toys! The kids LOVE them! This is how I get their attention, keep their imagination stimulated, their minds curious & their senses engaged in a world outside & away from all the noise, violence, electronic screens, flashing, blinking lights and annoying sound effects. These giant plastic bugs are part of a sanctuary of fun & a vehicle for learning.

So, I want to take a minute to extend boundless love & sincere gratitude to this family I live with:

To Jay for making room for me, my daughter, my rain sticks, drums and other odd looking musical instruments, my art supplies AND my growing collection of giant bugs; to my daughter for being so compassionate & willing to 'share' her own stickers, crayons, scissors, ideas & her beautiful heart with me & the kids we work with; and to my sons, for inspiring me to keep the creative, explorative spirit alive in myself and to encourage it in others.

As much as I am sure I annoy them sometimes, this family trusts and believes in me, maybe more than I sometimes trust & believe in myself. It touches me that they are aways there for me, giving me ideas and encouragement, (and sometimes sideways looks), and through their example, reminding me how much I value their priceless gifts of flexibility and patience!






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