A Change of Clothes

Posted by Donna Simmons

Recently, in church, I sat considering why it is that some parents do not insist that their children dress nicely for church. Obviously, there are issues with getting up late, avoiding an argument and so on….but I wonder if perhaps…

The Need to be a Cling-On

Posted by Donna Simmons

One of the most important reasons for parents to create a lifestyle which values slow over fast is that it supports good health. Cooking meals from scratch, growing one’s own vegetables or taking the time to visit a farm or…

Encouraging Inner Listening

Posted by Donna Simmons

A few weeks ago my 15 year old son, my husband and I watched an Alfred Hitchcock film together ( Shadow of a Doubt) Not a great film but something really made me sit up and take notice. There was a scene…

Keeping Sane Over the Holidays

Posted by Donna Simmons

The Holiday Season is a time of joy for most people – and surely people with children are most joyous of all, as children’s excitement mounts and the countdown to the Great Day begins…. But the Holidays can also be…

Painting in Peace

Posted by Donna Simmons

I have a love-hate relationship with wet-on-wet painting. As a child in my Waldorf school, I can clearly remember the quiet excitement of Painting Day – getting the jars of water ready, passing out the board, putting on aprons, squeezing…

Empathy and Adolescents

Posted by Donna Simmons

The following is an excerpt from the magnificent book Loving the Stranger: Studies in Adolescence, Empathy and the Human Heart edited by Michael Luxford. This book comes out of the work of the Camphill Communities (curative communties where people of…

Early Years Rant 3

Posted by Donna Simmons

(So if this was a movie, I’d entitle it Early Years: The Rant Continues……!) Do have a read through my original piece on this topic and then the follow-up. There have been many wonderful contributions by readers as well – which I…

The Gesture of Giving and the Gesture of Taking

Posted by Donna Simmons

Yesterday was Halloween, one of my favorite days of the year. I love the sight of children roaming freely through my town, (even if their parents walk behind or with them or, with older ones, drive along slowly near their…

Follow-Up – Early Years Rant

Posted by Donna Simmons

Well, well, well – I have been bowled over by the responses to the Early Years Rant I wrote last month. It seems I have hit a chord. I am honored to be able to hold a safe space for…

A Home For Teens

Posted by Donna Simmons

Having started a conversation her on my blog about the importance of being at home with ones little children (see Early Years Rant), I am now going to throw a another gauntlet down: this one has to do with teens…