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"Mother Games"
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I am reading volume 1 right now and feel very good about our avoidance of twaddle (from plastic and electronic toys to TV to junk books) from the beginning (even before I’d heard of CM) but what are “Mother Games” that CM seems to be against (excpet perhaps very sparingly)?
Would this be like “This little piggy” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” kind of stuff?
I have not read all of Vol. 1 yet, but I think “Mother Games” refers to the mother constantly entertaining her children rather than allowing them free, unguided play. If this is not what Charlotte is talking about, I do know that she talked a bit in Vol. 1 about that; but she could have been explaining something altogether different.
I bet Sonya knows exactly what you’re referring to!
,Lindsey
In researching for The Early Years book, I came across this description of Mother Games:
“Very crude poems, indifferent music and pictures, illustrating certain incidents of child life believed to be of fundamental and typical significance” (Vol. 1, p. 198).
It looks like they were supposed to be significant symbols and necessary finger plays and songs that the mother had to be careful to do correctly and encourage her child to do correctly in order for the child to develop “properly.” You’ll find a link to an example on the links and tips page for The Early Years.
So, no I don’t know exactly, but this is my best guess.
Still confused, but deciding not to worry about it. Without hearing of CM until my DS was almost 3, and now reading her original works, I have come to find that while I was raised *almost* antithetically to CM’s recommendations, I am have been raising my son almost exactly with CM since he was born! (Apparently I have been longing for a CM upbringing myself for years and I a-didn’t know it, and b-am now giving it to my son instinctually) So maybe I do “mother games”, maybe I don’t, not going to sweat that one!
Thanks for trying!
I don’t think “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “This Little Piggy” are Mother-Games. It seems like the whole Mother-Games movement was based on doing certain movements and vocals in a specific way or you would ruin your child. That mentality raised the mother’s anxiety level, which Charlotte said the child would pick up on. That anxiety level isn’t present in natural games that mothers and children play together.
So it seems like if you’re doing little games with your child just for the fun of being together and playing, that’s natural and good. If you’re uptight that you have to jump through certain hoops and do certain games just so “or else,” that’s not natural and the child will pick up on that anxiety.
Does that help?
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