by Tanessa Dillard Noll
I am a new mother with an eight-month-old son and am thrilled to be asked to be the first NSFM mother to write a column about my experiences raising a child on the tools and insights offered in this magazine.
It all started when my husband and I met Wendy and Prem, the founders of the magazine, at a benefit in my hometown. Since I had experience teaching elementary and middle school children, as well as a passion for reading and writing, I offered to give them some input on the magazine. I read much of the July issue outside in my garden as I sipped a cup of coffee. After reading it, I felt a little smarter and a lot more empowered as a parent. I took some notes as I read, sent them off to NSFM, and little did I know that that would be the start of my own column!
Motherhood is so exciting and so overwhelming at the same time. Each month I will reflect on the magazine and how it affects our family and the parenting of our child, Guy. I am constantly on the look-out for growth opportunities for myself and my son.I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the July issue with you.
I read “The Magic of Summer” article out loud to Guy. Of course, he doesn’t yet understand, but I like to share my reading time with him. Besides, I think he gets bored reading his books all the time. Guy is probably too young to appreciate family traditions, but as a new parent, the article led me to ask myself what I loved about my own summers and how I might create some traditions for our family down the line. I enjoy reading about the authors, too, and appreciated a web address to learn more.
The article on “Opportunities to Say Yes” is a great lesson that applies to babies as well as parents. As parents, we say no to all the unsafe objects my son might like to play with. We are constantly removing things and not able to communicate why we’ve made certain decisions. Even at this age, it’s still important to offer empowering alternatives.
The “Conscious Parenting Principles: Boundaries” article reminded me of how drastically different my husband’s parents and my parents raised us. My parents were very authoritarian, so I appreciated this article teaching me how to find a balance, rather than to set no boundaries at all. NSFM is a great resource for parents. I could see even more children being empowered if educators and other child care workers read this magazine!
As of last week, Guy was standing quite confidently and tentatively trying to take his first steps. It seems like just yesterday that he was born and already I’m watching his world expand and realizing that conscious parenting isn’t just for older kids and teens, but something to do from the start. Until next month, so long from Tanessa, the new mom who’s raising Guy and using NSFM.
August 2007