Recently there was an article in the Boston Globe about the “new” phenomena of Submarine Parenting. I had to chuckle when reading it though because Montessorians have been Submarining for over 100 years!
The idea is that, unlike helicopter parenting, a submarine parent (or teacher) places children in situations that they are fairly confident the child can handle with success, even if the task is slightly outside of the child’s comfort zone, and then allows the child to try it on their own, only “popping up” to add guidance if necessary.
By guiding children in this way children develop self-confidence, learn that success is built from failures, and become resilient and accepting of life’s challenges.
“We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself.”
Maria Montessori
