Coming out as an “Einstein Mom” (VIDEO)
Has anyone ever asked you if you were an Einstein Mom? Is that a title you would happily identify with?
In today’s video blog, I share with you my thoughts on the whole “Einstein Mom” thing… how there’s really no such thing, and I tell you what kind of Mom I actually am. If that makes me an “Einstein Mom,” then I’m coming out of the closet, sisters.
Join the conversation at the end of the video – be sure to leave a Comment and share your thoughts and feedback!
xo,
Stacy
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/dNaZbI493RY”]
In the Comments, please tell me:
1. Whether you like the background music!
2. Your favorite educational tools, resources, toys, books, dvd’s, iphone apps, whatevs!
3. Whether you identify as an Einstein Mom!
And be sure to Sign-up for the newsletter and get your copy of the Happy Mama Manifesto, my 24 Guiding Principles for Dynamic, Vibrant + Amazing Modern Moms, plus weekly updates and insider news! (It’s free) Click here.
[Transcript of the video:
Hi there, Mama! This is Stacy from StacyBoegem.com, and today I’m COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET!
Yep, you heard it right!
No more hiding, no more shame. No more embarrassment.
I’m coming clean, and I’m making no apologies.
So what’s all the fuss about?
Well, let me tell you.
On Friday, my lovely hairstylist, a dapper gentleman named Alex, was going on and on about how adorable and handsome and charming my little man is. Apparently my mom’s been showing Alex pictures of the little guy every 6 weeks for the last 4 years. So like any doting mom, I soaked it all up, loving those moments of total indulgence over how delicious that little man is.
So, as I’m glowing in the chair, visualizing my guy in all his cuteness, Alex asks me, “So, Stacy, are you one of those Einstein moms?”
Screeeech!
Oh no. This was definitely a loaded question. Being one of those “Einstein moms” didn’t sound too good.
Couple that with being on of those “Manhattan moms” – oy vey.
Am I a hyper-competitive mom whose sense of self-worth is wrapped up in the achievements and skills of my baby/toddler/kid? Do I want the little man on the fast track to reading, writing and arithmetic so he can kick all those other kids tooshes?
No. Absolutely not.
And neither do 99% of all the moms I know (and I know a LOT of moms).
Einstein Mom. Manhattan Mom. Ladies, each of those is a CARICATURE.
Well, I quickly answered Alex, “Oh no. Never used any of those Baby Einstein products.” Which was true.
But, as I was saying it, a myriad of other amazingly wonderful educational tools came flooding into my mind – a whole bunch of stuff we HAVE used – stuff that I am so happy to have used, stuff the little man loved, stuff that taught the little man a whole TONS and US a whole ton.
Stuff that could certainly qualify me as “one of those moms.”
So, was I? Am I? Could it be?
Well, let me tell you what kind of Mom I am.
I am a mom who wants the best for her kid.
I am a mom who pays close attention to what my kid is interested in, and where his strengths are.
I am a mom who wants to nourish my kid’s love of learning, and who recognizes that kids learn a lot more easily when they’re really young.
I am a mom who loves to communicate with her kid. And always have. Since the beginning. (That’s why I’m a big fan of baby signing – talk about an EASY way to avoid a LOT of the “terrible two tantrums”)
I am a mom who knows that speaking a second language with a baby is a much easier way for them to grow up understanding that language than to force lessons upon them when their language synapses are already formed in their sponge-y brains.
I am a mom who wants to stimulate my little guy’s curiosity about the world, and expose him to experiences, people, places, and ideas that keep his mind open and expansive.
I am a mom who wants my little man to be joyfully happy and free.
I’m not talking about PRESSURE here, I’m talking about ACCESS.
If all that makes me an Einstein mom, then you got me. I’m OUT. Will you join me? It’s a lot more fun when you’re not hiding. We all want the best for our kids. Giving our kids ACCESS to resources and tools to foster their love of learning isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s something to feel good about.
And when you feel good about it, and you can openly talk about it, then we can share recommendations for good stuff, and avoid the bad stuff.
I’m compiling a list of some of our top picks – stuff the little man LOVED and we LOVED too. I know you have recommendations for great tools, resources, products, toys, videos that your little one LOVED, please leave a comment below, and I’ll add your recommendation to the list!]
15 Comments
Love the haircut!! I think the background music adds some spice. I wasn’t aware of the term “Einstein Mom”. Maybe I am an Einstein grandmother….I am a huge fan of lots of arts and crafts supplies for the kids to enjoy….also magna-tiles….does that make me an Einstein Grandma??
I think of you as more of an arts and craps, grandma, Mom 😉 Gotta love the magna-tiles. One of the best. toys. ever. And so happy you like the cut! xo
Dear Stacy,
As always, your energy, enthusiasm, and straight-forward, no-nonsense attitude motivate and inspire me. Thank you.
As for my favorite educational tools, I have found that the simplest things are what inspire the most creativity and knowledge in my children. Number one on my list is plain paper and crayons. My oldest (turning 5 next week) could spend hours just drawing his interpretations of the things in his world. The other winning tools are books of all topics and sizes, balls, and music. For the babies, I try to expose them to different textures, shapes, and colors. I’m also a big fan of talking! Talk to your kids – talk to them about everything (kid-appropriate, of course), because they soak it all up and remember it.
Keep the great posts and videos coming. I love them!
Love,
Rachel (Ezrine) Wasserman
Rach – Thank you so much for thoughtful comment. I am so happy to hear you’re digging my stuff, mama! xo
Love your recs. My favorite is the talking one. People used to think I was nuts at D’Agostino (the grocery store in my NYC neighborhood) when I would tell my infant what we were shopping for and have him help me pick between products. But the more we communicate with them, the more they communicate with us! Love you xo
Hmmn …. never heard of ‘Einstein’ Mom before. Seeing as to Albert is one of my all-time favorite heroes it interested me. Can’t imagine it in a negative way but I guess I can see the impact of super competitive parents pushing and pushing their kids to be what they only wish they themselves were. UGH! What I loved was the idea of nurturing your child’s strengths. Too often we try to improve on areas of weakness while we ignore areas of strength.
Like the music …………. loved the background with the palms.
Thx Harvey! Looks like the votes are unanimous so far in favor of the music. Nice. You’ll love the book I just started reading, “Now Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham. We should ALL be nourishing our natural strengths! And thank you for being such a steadfast supporter of this blog/vlog! I always love getting your perspective xo
I have an almost two year old, who LOVES music. She has just started singing which melts my heart. She loved anything with a beat–egg shakers, drum sets, pianos, animals that sing (not so high on MY list), and even having “dance parties” around our living room.
Love this, Marcie. So adorable. My little man is super into music and movement too, and it’s amazing. Love the freedom they feel when they dance; no real inhibition or self-consciousness yet – it’s a beautiful thing.
Great post!
Thx Jilly! Our rescheduled phone date is LONG overdue. Are you still on maternity leave? I’d love to finally connect this week if that could work for you! xo
Hi Stacy! Wow – how wonderful to find you here doing all of this – it’s fantastic!
I didn’t know if you knew what I’d been up to, but I have just had my first children’s book, (one of a series) published here… and in the USA! I’ve developed a brand called Florentine and Pig, which celebrates childhood, play, FAMILY, friendship and embracing the imaginations of little ones. It flies the flag for old school family values and champions and supports parents having fun, spending time with their children and learning together.
I learnt so much from just spending time with and truly playing my parents, (no computers!) and that it what I am on a mission to rekindle amongst today’s parents now… The book contains a story and then recipes and crafts inspired by the story, so children can leap into the safe imaginary world live it themselves while learning through play with their parents. The book is available all over and online on Amazon… and if you want to read more about the ethos and their magical world, you can find the dynamic duo here: http://www.florentineandpig.com... or search for them on Facebook/Twiiter. It’s currently MumsNet children’s book of the month over here in the UK so I’m thrilled to bits!
Lots of love to you from over here and look forward to your next post!
eva x x x
Eva – The book looks absolutely precious! I’ve got to get my hands on a copy for my little man! You are so multi-talented. I still listen to your sweet beautiful voice on my iPod (well now iPhone)… Congratulations on all the success – Florentine must be so excited! And Pig too! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment; it’s good to reconnect! xoxo
[Got this great comment from a reader via email, so putting it here so all can benefit!]
Stace, great Vlog (and haircut!). I’m probably not an Einstein Mom, although both my kids have seen one or two of those videos in their lives. I never did/don’t do as much as I probably should with these kinds of tools but I do remember my oldest (now 5 1/2) loving the Leap Frog Letter Factory and Word Factory videos. Giving credit where credit is due, I think he learned all of his letter sounds and how to put sounds together to form short words from them! As much as “screen time” is frowned upon, fact is there are screens everywhere – from on our walls to in our pockets. The lights, sounds and motion of iphones, ipads, and even computers, are alluring – at least for my kids. (The one year old would rather play with – and sometimes eat – the iphone than just about anything… I guess this generation will never know any differently, they were “born this way”!) So, I’m a fan of apps like Alphabet Tracing, ABC Puzzles for the older one, and the Peekaboo Barn and Duck Duck Moose apps for the little one (Wheels on the Bus, Fish School). Unfortunately, the big one has figured out how to spell Batman and knows where the search field is on the YouTube app, but that’s a whole other blog post, I suppose! Look forward to suggestions from all your other mamas. Thanks for what you do. C
Hey, Stacy! Love the vlog, the haircut, AND the music! Woo hoo!
The title to your post intrigued me, as I’m only recently becoming aware of all these parenting titles that one may acquire…. helicopter mom, Manhattan mom, etc. Perhaps it’s because my kiddies are a little older (MY littlest guy is nine, followed by 10yo princess, a 12yo diva, and a 14yo future paleontologist LOL) but I’ve only heard of these in the past two or three years.
I was blessed in that I intuitively knew that the best way for my kids to be their authentic selves was to observe them, and then allow them to explore things that they found the most interest in. It was easy to see how my littlest man loves rhythm (he’ll use ANYTHING to tap, or BANG, out a beat… all DAY), my younger princess is a feeling, artistic soul who early on developed a love of creating art of all kinds from every day objects like bottles, sporks, cardboard and string (yay for FREE craft materials!), my older daughter is also musically inclined, and has an AH-MAZING voice, and my oldest boy (who has Asperger’s Syndrome, BTW) loved dinosaurs from a VERY young age, and has developed a sincere love of animals, plants, and nature. They are so unique, inquisitive, and gifted…. and I spoke to them early and often, never hesitated to answer any question elaborately about ANYTHING, and encouraged them to read a LOT!
As for resources, I am a huge fan of letting kids CREATE opportunities for play. Rather then buy them a play tent, they learned to make their own by setting up chairs and sheets. My kids MAKE their toys, and it expands their creativity and imagination. I introduced my oldest to origami and he loves creating new designs all on his own. Once they were old enough to surf the interwebs, they spent lots of time on websites like nickjr.com and pbskids.org, and now I use Khan Academy quite a bit to help them with math or science. Most of all, we are all lovers of learning so we us “The Google” often and look up words, find photos, watch videos, and get answers to questions about anything and everything!
The last thing I’ll say is that I TOTALLY agree that the greatest gift you can give a child is ACCESS. More than anything else, I want my children to be exposed to everything that they can, so that when they are old enough to make decisions about the kind of life they want to live, they have a rich library of experiences that can guide them to that place. Thank you so much for sharing…. and I am proud to say that I’m an Einstein mom because I am facilitating the brilliance and genius of each of my children… on their OWN terms! ♥
Wow Farah – What an amazingly thoughtful and inspired response. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing your wisdom (and your time). I love your focus on cultivating your children’s opportunities to be their authentic selves, and to CREATE. What a gift to have the freedom and opportunity and encouragement to live true to themselves, and stretch those creative muscles. You are one inspiring mama, Mama. xo