| |
Audra Lemke's Home Page Check out my new art website at www.ArtByAud.com !! |
Featured Alice artist: | |
These days (since the fall of 2001), I am a Mom. In terms of parenting style, Steve and I are taking the road (currently) less travelled and in many ways are following a "natural" parenting style that many call "attachment parenting." There are many ways to parent successfully, and although many people take pride in the path they chose and are anxious to share their experiences with others, telling others that there is a single "right" or "wrong" way doesn't make sense. Every parent needs to chose the path that works best for them, their spouse, and their children, borrowing tidbits from family's advice, friends' advice, support groups, books, latest research, but mostly following their heart and hopefully their children's cues.
For months before our daughter turned one year old, she was already learning how to communicate using sign language. It is much easier for babies to control their gestures than to control the sounds they make, so learning sign language gives them a tool to communicate before they can make their thoughts clear using words. Teaching a baby sign language has many other benefits, including that it is fun for both parent and child, it eases frustrations for parent and child, it has been shown that it can improve the child's spoken language skills, it often increases the child's interest in books, and it stimulates and develops more of the child's brain. If you're interested, read more about baby signing, and check out the list of signs our daughter has demonstrated and signs our son has demonstrated.