Montessori: It's happening

All right, fellow mom, put down that glue gun. Step away from that laminator. I have some news for you:

Montessori happens.

You can spend all your time making adorable "Montessori-inspired" activities that you found on Pinterest. But do you know what's going to give your child the concentration, self-discipline, and self-esteem that you ardently desire for them?

Here's a hint: it's not pom-poms.

It's the focus your two-year old excerts during those ten minutes he takes to buckle his own shoes. It's the pride your three-year old feels when you invite her to set the table with real china and glassware. It's the respect your baby intuits when you show him that he doesn't have to sit in his own bodily waste but can instead eliminate on the potty.

Montessori happens when you read together; when you go for a walk outdoors at your child's pace and stop to look at snails; when you spend the morning with your baby on a blanket under a tree.

Montessori means letting your child experiment with different ways of filling a bird feeder; it means breathing through spills and breakages; it means dinner napkins that might not be folded the way you envisioned.

You can create all sorts of cute Montessori-inspired activities, but don't forget that Montessori is what happens while you're busy cutting felt.