Early Childhood Checklist For the Child Who is Not Yet Peaceful

This is a list that was being passed along through one of my email lists. Love it!

Early Childhood Checklist For The Child Who Is Not Yet Peaceful

* Someone to behold the child's face with joy, hold her, hug her, and treasure her for herself alone.

* Someone to read chapter books aloud for twenty to thirty minutes a day, at a level three years beyond the child's reading level.

* Someone to recite poetry every day, a new poem each week.

* Someone to sing every day, a new song each week.

* Someone to tell delightful stories of the child's own life.

* An atmosphere of open curiosity and inquiry, in which everyone in the family treasures learning.

* Responsibility for caring for himself and his own things as well as contributing to meal preparation and the care of the house, garden, and pets.

* A two-hour weekly limit on all screen media - movies, videos, TV, and computer games - combined.

* Freedom from being dragged around on errands.

* Freedom from the cynicism and sarcasm appropriate to later years.

* Parents who say no cheerfully and mean it.

* Parents who wait until their children are in bed to listen to music, watch movies, play computer games, and watch TV programs, even the news, that are not appropriate to the children's ages or that would give children more media hours than is best for their development.

* Parents who establish and uphold a family child-rearing culture that is appropriate to the child's age and who support age-appropriate independent thought and action and age-appropriate role in decision making in as many areas and as often as possible.