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With Me - Love Does Togetherness

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Parenting and teaching are not solo endeavors. They thrive on connection, collaboration, and a sense of togetherness. When children feel a deep sense of unity with the adults guiding them, they develop trust, confidence, and a willingness to learn. Whether in the home or the classroom, relationships built on teamwork rather than control create an environment where children feel valued, heard, and supported. Instead of enforcing authority from above, we can walk alongside our children, reinforcing that we are in this together. Unity in parent-child and teacher-student relationships fosters a sense of security. When children know they are not alone in their struggles, they become more open to guidance. A child facing a difficult math problem or struggling with big emotions is far more likely to persevere when they feel they have an ally rather than a critic. Likewise, when we acknowledge our children’s perspectives—whether they’re three years old or sixteen—we reinforce that their voice...
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Next Time - Love Does Patience and Perseverance

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Raising and teaching kids is a long game—one filled with small victories, frustrating setbacks, and countless do-overs. No matter how much we guide them, kids won’t get it right every time. They’ll forget what we’ve taught them, push boundaries, and make mistakes. And honestly? So will we. As loving parents and teachers, our job isn’t to expect perfection but to model patience and perseverance, knowing that growth happens over time, not all at once. It’s easy to get discouraged when lessons don’t seem to stick, when we have to repeat ourselves for what feels like the hundredth time, or when we lose our own tempers despite our best intentions. But every moment offers another chance to do better. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, we can focus on the power of "next time"—the next time we calmly respond instead of reacting, the next time they try again and get a little closer to understanding. It’s in these repeated efforts that real learning takes root. So let’s give our...
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AND - Love Does Collaboration

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 AND Adults and children. Parents and teachers. Home and community. Co-parenting. In-laws.  Sometimes, these feel like opposing forces. But parenting or teaching with love shows us the importance of working together; us AND the other. Sometimes it's easy - our child has a teacher that we naturally click with; we share a similar parenting style with the child's other parent. Other times it's hard - our in-laws feel intrusive; we are a teacher with a student whose parents are uninvolved and unresponsive.  The article on collaboration (link below) highlights the benefits of collaborating which include academic success, better emotional skills, and stronger relationships. It also mentions some of the pitfalls that can occur when adults do not have a collaborative relationship. Collaborating with others in our children's lives may not always be easy, but the benefits are worth it. When we focus on the kids first and on their growth and future, we are more often able to wo...
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Won't You Sing - Love Does Music

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“Won’t you sing?” Music is a universal language that we begin sharing with our children from a very young age. We sing lullabies to babies, dance with preschoolers, listen to music in classrooms, and swap playlist recommendations with teens. Shared musical experiences provide a foundation for building relationships, as well as for physical and cognitive growth. Indeed, making and listening to music is one of the most basic human functions.  Music  allows us to feel nearly all emotions that we experience in our lives. What an incredible thing to share with the kids in our homes and classrooms.  “If children are not introduced to music at an early age, I believe something fundamental is actually being taken from them” - Luciano Pavarotti.  According to an article on brighthorizons.com (link below), “Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and overall  literacy . It hel...
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Now I Know My ABCs - Love Does Reading

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Learning the alphabet (letter recognition) is a skill that happens naturally for most kids between the ages of 2 and 6. While learning the alphabet is often seen as an indicator of later success in other reading skills, research does not support that. What research does support is the importance of sharing reading experiences with our kids and helping them to develop a positive association with books and stories. From looking at board books with babies to acting out stories either read or made up with preschoolers to listening to books on Audible on a road trip with teenagers, there are countless ways to weave reading experiences into our children’s lives.  An article on Parents.com (link below) lists 18 ways to share reading experiences with kids of all ages, including reading aloud, modeling reading for pleasure, and even cooking. The article also mentions the importance of keeping reading fun at home and in early childhood settings. Teachers in elementary settings and beyond nee...
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Z - Love Does Zest

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The dictionary defines zest as “great energy or enthusiasm.” Whether at home or in the classroom, one of our greatest objectives is for our children to know without a doubt that they are loved. The thesaurus lists synonyms for zest as enthusiasm, eagerness, gusto, and energy. When we love our children zestfully, we love them with enthusiasm, eagerness, gusto, and energy. This comes naturally for some, but it feels uncomfortable for others. And either way, sometimes we find ourselves in the situation of not loving our kids' actions and choices which significantly dampens they enthusiasm we can muster.  Nevertheless, when we make an effort to love with zest, our children will reap the many benefits of knowing they are deeply loved. No, it's not always easy. But we can use the lessons that we have learned from this series; we can manage our own Big feelings, look for Humor in all situations, recognize that Mistakes will be made, see our children for who they are Right now, remembe...
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Y - Love Does Yes

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“Don’t jump on the couch.” “Stop running!” “No more talking.” These are common phrases we might find ourselves saying to our kids. Given the specific situation, they might well be reasonable requests that help maintain order and safety in our homes and classrooms. Our kids, though, hear only No, No, No.  “You can’t go outside; it’s too cold.” “No, I can’t join you. I have work to do.” “We aren’t doing that activity; it’s too messy.” Sometimes it is cold. There is always work to do. Certain activities can be messy. These are all valid reasons to consider denying a request. But still, our kids spend all day hearing No, No, No.  What if, instead, we made an effort to say Yes? Yes, you can jump! Head out the the trampoline. Yes, you can run! We'll head outside. Yes, you can talk, as soon as your work is done. Yes, we can go outside. Let’s get our coats and gloves on. Yes, I would love to play. I need 20 minutes to work first Yes, we can do that activity. It’s messy, so let’s get a...
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