Obviously I’m a huge advocate of raising and educating children in a Montessori way. That’s why I work at a Montessori school and that is why I write this blog. But let me tell you, it isn’t always easy and it isn’t always fun. So here are the reasons why it is hard to be a Montessori parent. If you’d like to learn more about Montessori, make sure you read my post What the Heck is Montessori? and listen to the podcast at the end.

We also recorded a podcast about the downside to independence. Listen to it in the post or find it in the iTunes store by searching Quirky Parenting.

I Have to Include My Toddler in Housework

I’m one of those moms who likes to fold her laundry a certain way and can load the dishwasher in like 3 minutes flat with an entire day’s worth of dishes. Until my daughter comes over and insists she has to help. So I end up inventing jobs for her.

“No, I totally need you to put all of the socks into the laundry basket unmatched.”

“I would love if you would slowly bring all of the dishes over and load them higgeldy piggeldy into the dishwasher in a way that none of them will end up clean.”

“Please carry the one ingredient I need back to the kitchen. I’m glad we both had to make the walk to the pantry for one can of beans.”

“If there is something I need while I cook dinner, it is definitely a toddler who commandeers her own wooden spoon that she insists on stirring into every pot/pan/bowl she can reach.”

Toddlers Walk Too Slow

Sometimes, I just want to be able to walk into school without my coffee getting cold in my travel mug. Sometimes, I just want to be able to get downstairs fast so I can get stuff done. Sometimes, I just want to walk briskly around Target to complete my shopping trip in less than an hour. But instead, I have committed to letting my toddler walk (or at least giving her the option to walk in all of these locations.) And let me tell you, she walks like she is trudging through knee-deep mud (which she would probably also do.)

Dressing Themselves Is a Clothing Nightmare

Let me be totally clear: I love having my daughter pick out her own clothes. (It is just one of the ways I give her choices so she can have some control of her life.) I want her to take responsibility for her own self-care and have some say in what she puts on her body. But also I’d like her to sometimes look like an Instagram kid who is somehow always color coordinated and perfectly coiffed.

I’m Not an Outdoor Person

If I’m asked to classify myself as an indoor or outdoor person, I’d be yelling “indoor” before you even finish the question. As a child, my dream was to spend my summers reading indoors either in my living room, my bedroom, or the public library. But my mom would shove me outdoors with my book to fry my too-pale skin while I took in some Vitamin D. Now as a parent, I definitely see the value of being outdoors in any sort of weather but let me tell you that it is a struggle to set that first foot out the door.

They Want to Work All of the Time

Sometimes, I just want to lay on the couch. Or watch a movie. But those darn Montessori children just want to keep on learning. Like one rainy, summer day when I just wanted to put on a Disney movie, but the children I nannied for decided they would rather watch documentaries about the ocean and then write a book-length report about dolphins. Like come on kids, let me lose myself in a princess film every once in a while.

I Don’t Always Have the Answer and Sometimes I Don’t Care to Look It Up

I believe that children should be able to ask questions and get a response. I also think it is important for adults to admit when they don’t know something and demonstrate how they look something up. But sometimes, I don’t want to answer questions. Sometimes I just want to sit and get lost in my own thoughts instead of making sure I relayed the correct information about what platelets do in the blood stream or trying to determine how to respond when a child tells me that any animal can kill you.

They Are Too Darn Independent

I know I shared this picture when I talked about how to deal with a stubborn toddler, but it definitely shows my feelings on my daughter’s independence sometimes. One morning before school, she decided we had not fed her enough breakfast. (False) So she took it upon herself to not only put on an apron, but also to open the fridge and get out some more fruit. (Which how can I say no to that? She is a picky eater right now!) At least this time she remembered to shut the fridge.

We also recorded a podcast about the downside to independence. Listen to it in the post or find it in the iTunes store by searching Quirky Parenting.

So what downside have you found to being a Montessori parent? Let me know! And if you are interested in learning more, check out What the Heck is Montessori.