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A review by mosso
The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being by Simone Davies
2.0
Two stars is pretty harsh, but it's a no ill will two stars.
I am not a parent but have worked with kids and look forward to one day parenting. There are interesting ideas in The Montessori Toddler about how to organize and structure activities for toddlers which are undercut by momfluencer suggestions to invest in woven baskets, wooden toys, and organic soy crayons. There's a high emphasis on beautiful, clean spaces.
Montessori touts an ethos of objectivity, but at least in this book, there's almost no empiricism. Instead, Davies includes (still valuable) personal anecdotes of teaching in a Montessori school and raising her own children.
The most interesting takeaways included advice on fostering independence, slowing down pace, simplification, and a form of discipline that avoids the second person.
Potentially this is the failing of every parenting book because of the nature of parenting, but I wanted more discussion on handling complicated emotional situations. Davies frequently suggested to "help calm them down," which is a big ask. I also find it incomplete to have any discussion of parenting that's not contending with patriarchy in some capacity.
I am not a parent but have worked with kids and look forward to one day parenting. There are interesting ideas in The Montessori Toddler about how to organize and structure activities for toddlers which are undercut by momfluencer suggestions to invest in woven baskets, wooden toys, and organic soy crayons. There's a high emphasis on beautiful, clean spaces.
Montessori touts an ethos of objectivity, but at least in this book, there's almost no empiricism. Instead, Davies includes (still valuable) personal anecdotes of teaching in a Montessori school and raising her own children.
The most interesting takeaways included advice on fostering independence, slowing down pace, simplification, and a form of discipline that avoids the second person.
Potentially this is the failing of every parenting book because of the nature of parenting, but I wanted more discussion on handling complicated emotional situations. Davies frequently suggested to "help calm them down," which is a big ask. I also find it incomplete to have any discussion of parenting that's not contending with patriarchy in some capacity.