Giving Yourself Grace as a Parent with Sonya
Meet Sonya, a Montessori mom of two, living in Texas. She’s an alumna of Homeschool: Primary and Constellation.
Would you introduce yourself, your family, and your lifestyle?
I am a former Speech Pathologist turned stay-at-home mama living in the greater Houston area with my husband and two children. I have a daughter who is 4 and a son who is 2.
We love where we live and spend our days outside exploring our community. We’re active foodies who love music, art, and all things creative.
What is a typical day for you with your children?
Our routine begins early. My husband and I get up before the kids to work out and meditate or read something spiritual. Once the kids get up around 7, we will make breakfast and eat together. After breakfast, the kids will play, and I’ll clean up.
Once we’re all dressed, and we feel like we need a change of scene we go outside. If we don’t get outside, I’ll set up a craft or activity to involve them in. We’re learning Spanish together, and we will typically do an activity from our lesson of the week to keep our workflow going.
Around 12 is lunchtime and sometimes, since my husband works from home, we will eat with him, too. We all catch up on our mornings, and my son takes his nap while I do some one-on-one reading, writing, or math with my daughter. When we’ve finished our lesson, she chooses an activity of her liking to do with me. After we have our connection time, we read a story and she will do some quiet time while I prep dinner or catch up on my own things.
After nap time we will gather at the table and have a snack and/or tea and read some poetry. We then will head back outside to our local park until dinner. After dinner, our bedtime routine starts.
What experiences do you love to share with your children?
I love to read with my children. There is something so special about seeing them light up and get curious about the pictures and the new things we learn. The snuggles are an extra bonus, too!
I also love taking walks with my children and letting them lead. They love taking the lead, and it’s fun to watch them work together to understand the world around them.
What do your children like to do?
They love books and taking walks. They also love going to our park and seeing their neighborhood friends. They play on the playground and in the woods with them.
Tell us something one of your children did recently that you're proud of.
My children have very different personalities and clash often. It’s hard for my daughter to communicate this when my son is upsetting her. She recently has started coaching him to demonstrate better behavior such as showing him how to use an indoor voice, safer ways to play on the couch, how to use a fork, etc. It makes me so proud to see because it’s a huge shift from how she used to react to him, and it gives me hope for their budding friendship.
What is your favorite Montessori material or activity?
I have so much I could say but I won’t go on and on. My favorite is the moveable alphabet. It’s amazing to see my daughter sounding out and spelling words!
What advice would you give to someone just starting out with Montessori?
The advice I would give to someone starting out is this. It’s not about the materials and every detail of your homeschool. It’s about appreciating and listening to your child as well as listening to yourself. Respecting children and the beauty of childhood is a journey, and every moment is part of awakening to the preciousness of that journey. We get to do this with our kids!
If you could time travel and meet Maria Montessori herself, what would you say to her?
Thank you for being brave and advocating for children to become all God created them to be!
What do you tell yourself when you feel like you're failing?
I was always very critical of myself up until the last few months. I’ve learned to give myself grace and appreciate the mistakes. I try to ask myself questions about how I’m feeling in a hard moment and what can I be doing differently. I’m also trying to find joy in the little things and see how I can have more fun and not take things too seriously.
What’s been your experience with Child of the Redwoods?
I was hesitant to join Constellation. Thinking that it’s one more thing to do. Now I am so grateful I joined! I read through the learning journal and took it slow, trying to see how I could incorporate it into my days. I love how it’s a whole month long, so I don’t feel the pressure to fit everything in a short period of time.
I was so surprised at how my daughter who shows little interest in animals just loved the animal tracks activities! It was also amazing to see how quickly she began piecing the idea of “tracks” together in other aspects of life. I love the thought-provoking questions for journaling. I love reflecting and making a plan based on what’s working and what’s not. It makes such a difference in all aspects of my life. I’m very happy I joined Constellation and think it’s a great community for any homeschool parent to be a part of.
