Tag: AP Month

The theme for Attachment Parenting Month 2011, Families at Play, inspired many of you to share your thoughts about what play means for you and your family. Check out these posts submitted to the AP Month 2011 Blog Carnival to see how important play is to other families.

I Will Not Have My Child to Raise Over Again at Poppies & Pencilshavings

Just a little reminder to myself that I cannot afford too many “maybe later’s,” or “not now’s.” I love my work, but I love my child more. I need money in the bank, but money cannot ensure my child’s happiness the way my love can.

The Blessing of a Bear Encounter at Every Breath I Take

The car seat has never qualified as a “happy place” for my daughter. At two years old, she has no problem letting me know that she isn’t interested in riding in it. She often slides out before I can even fasten her in. And a [fun-for-her] game of chase ensues inside the car.

Uncovering Hidden Feelings Through Play at High Needs Attachment

It wasn’t until becoming a parent that I saw more deeply the unique ability of play to tap into a young child’s inner life. Recently when engaged in imaginative play with my three-year old, he was having animals act out a scenario where they went to a local coffee shop and ordered blueberry bagels with butter and breakfast sandwiches with cheese.

The Meaning of Play at A Secure Base

For children, play comes naturally. Children can find play hiding in boxes, under trees, in mud pies, between mom’s never-to-be-worn-again dresses in the closet, and on top of the neighborhood’s tallest hill. Children need no reason or goal in their play. They just play because they want to and they can.

Que Juegos Podemos Jugar en Familia? at Esposa Perfect

“Cualquier tipo de juego que guste al niño, lo importante es que ambos disfruten de compartir ese momento, los niños se sentirán muy felices al jugar con sus padres y serán momentos que el niño jamás olvidará. Los juegos pueden utilizarse en las actividades cotidianas o en momentos dedicados exclusivamente para jugar.

Attachment Parenting Month: Families at Play at City Kids Homeschooling

We use the city as the backdrop for our family’s play, often taking advantage of its many playgrounds and museums and festivals, but also tapping into its capacity to trigger spontaneous, creative play.

Nothing Is Really Work Unless You Would Rather Be Doing Something Else* at Seventh Acre Heaven

This month is Attachment Parenting Month and to celebrate, API (Attachment Parenting International) has chosen a theme of “Families at Play.” At first I felt a huge guilt about this. My child often refuses to play.

Nurturing Parent-Child Relationships Through Play at The Hippie Housewife

When we talk about playing with our kids, the typical things usually come to mind: imaginative play (dinosaurs, cars, house), creative play (Lego, crafting, colouring), or board games (Candyland, Go Fish, Snakes & Ladders).

Playtime Grows Up

Young children play effortlessly. Kids are naturally predisposed to play, and it doesn’t take much to engage a child in a silly game or role-play. Through play, kids express feelings, needs, thoughts and ideas that they might not yet have the words to articulate. Playing together lets parents connect and communicate with kids beyond a conversation and provides insight into their world.

A Family that Plays Together Stays Together!

Last year, I gave my sweet husband the colossal task of finding a birthday present for me that a) wasn’t materialistic and b) showed me that he really knew me inside and out. After hearing my request my husband slouched his shoulders and said “Wow, that’s a tall order. Anything I get you is going to be a great disappointment.” This year, hubby had his thinking cap on!

Coming Out to Play

A newspaper reporter once wrote that, “Fred Donaldson never has a hard day at work. All he does is play around.” The reporter expresses a common misunderstanding of children’s play. We think of children’s play as nothing more than child’s play. I was no different. This dramatically changed one day when I was tugged to the ground by children. I began to see play not as an adult observer, but as a participant.

Last year, I gave my sweet husband the colossal task of finding a birthday present for me that a) wasn’t materialistic and b) showed me that he really knew me inside and out. After hearing my request my husband slouched his shoulders and said “Wow, that’s a tall order. Anything I get you is going to be a great disappointment.” This year, hubby had his thinking cap on!

I went out of town for a day and my husband and my boys played all day to build an amazing Mother’s Day Garden complete with sign and all (see attached photos). The kids loved digging, planting and playing king-of-the-dirt-pile but I think they were most excited to show me all of their hard work when I returned!

For my birthday which happens to be right after Mother’s Day, my husband and my babies dug out, and put together two raised bed gardens for my veggie garden. I was unbelievably touched by my gardens; my husband clearly knows me better than I know me (at least sometimes). Not only have we been enjoying fruit and flowers all summer but my children learned a lesson on giving from the heart and getting their hands dirty.

“Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life- learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some” Robert Fulghum

“I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to the little children.” Jesus

A newspaper reporter once wrote that, “Fred Donaldson never has a hard day at work. All he does is play around.” The reporter expresses a common misunderstanding of children’s play. We think of children’s play as nothing more than child’s play. I was no different. This dramatically changed one day when I was tugged to the ground by children. I began to see play not as an adult observer, but as a participant.

One day I was lying on a grass hill with five-year-old David watching clouds float by. As we looked up he said, “Fred, you know play is when we don’t know that we are different from each other.” It is sometimes the case that a child says something that takes your breath away and momentarily stops your thinking. David looked at me with one of those knowing smiles that communicates his wisdom without words.

What is it that David knew? He knew that the play I was learning from the children was something very special. It wasn’t about fun, entertainment, or sport. It was a gift allowing us to transcend the limits of cultural, social, and medical differences that we think are so important. David understood that play touches that which is profoundly alive in one person to that which is most profoundly alive in another.
Continue reading “Coming Out To Play”

AP Month 2010 begins on Friday and earlier this month I posted details about the AP Month 2010 Blog Carnival. Here’s a bit of the previous post:

During AP Month 2010, parents are challenged to re-examine their daily physical activities, nourishing routines and habits, and learn new ways to fuel both healthy emotional and physical growth. The “envelope” in which we deliver guidance to our children provides the underlying degree of emotional connection and feeling that can become associated with physical nourishment and activity.

Explore with us the challenges we face in raising children who know the healthiest ways to be nourished in every aspect of life. Participate in our Attachment Parenting Month blog carnival and share your experiences in keeping our children “Full of Love.”

I directed individuals to our Contact Form for blog submissions but unfortunately we are now having a problem with that script. Instead please submit a link to your submission directly to me via email – apispeaks [AT] attachmentparenting [DOT] org. Thank you!

Happy Attachment Parenting Month! “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” is the theme for AP Month 2009 and a statement that healthy, secure attachments between parents and children is a dynamic process that extends throughout childhood that extends beyond infancy. During AP Month 2009, parents are challenged to re-examine their daily activities and traditions and learn new ways to grow with each other and remain close and supportive.

API Speaks would like to reflect on, and demonstrate how, we (as parents) remained and will remain “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” and one way we’re going to do that is with an Attachment Parenting Month blog carnival.

To participate in the carnival, submit a post on one or more of the following topics as we celebrate growth:

• Ways in which you’ve flexed through tough transition periods
• Ways in which your routines and traditions have subtly or dramatically changed to accommodate your child’s growth and maturity
• Challenges you’ve faced as your child grew that you never expected and how you resolved them
• Ways in which you’ve grown as a parent

To participate, simply publish a post on one of the previous topics to your blog with the following text:

This post is part of the Attachment Parenting Month blog carnival, hosted by Attachment Parenting International. Learn more about how you can stay “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” by visiting API Speaks, the blog of Attachment Parenting International.

Once your post is completed, please send an email with a link to your AP Month post to moderator AT attachmentparenting DOT org. Submissions will be accepted until Wednesday, October 14 at noon PDT. API Speaks will then link to your post on Monday, October 19. We may publish multiple posts, depending on how many submissions are received.

If you do not have a blog, but would like to submit a guest post for AP Month, please contact me at the email address above.