alfie kohn

fab new book arrived yesterday courtesy of amazon.  it’s the one called unconditional parenting.  i really love it, been meaning to read it for ages then some mumsnetter or other mentioned it and i remembered about it.  did i say i love it?

he won’t read it of course.  he doesn’t read.  just like his dad.  i mean, he CAN read of course, just doesn’t enjoy the whole absorption in a book, learning a new idea, discovering new ways of doing things..THING.  can you tell it pisses me off?  it’s the ‘never did me any harm’ way of the world.  grrr.

well, i read him little bits of it anyway.  he hmmed and ummed a bit but that was about it.  i think it’s the way i want go.  although i don’t agree with the bit about potty training.  we did sweeties for wee wees here and it worked a treat, yes literaly.  so i ignored that bit.  but i like the other bit.  mainly the stuff about seeing things through the child’s eye.  i try to do this anyway, but it was great to read a full theory behind it. 

i’ve never been one of these ‘don’t do that you’ll get dirty,’ ‘don’t run you’ll fall’ type mums.  and i know he hates it when i say things are no big deal.  i mean, she wants to eat on the sofa because we do.  it’s no good us eating toast on the sofa and demanding she sits at her table to eat hers.  makes no sense.  he now doesn’t demand it.  i’ve pointed out it’s only a hassle to us if she makes a mess, and even then you can lean it up with a baby wipe.  no big deal.  choose your battles i say.