Self Evident, Like Gravity...

Source: rie.org

I first learned about the RIE philosophy of childrearing when I worked as a graduate student at the infant development lab school at the University of Arkansas. When Carol, the head teacher explained it to me it was as though a light went on. As with all of the best philosophies, it made sense on such a basic level that it almost seems self evident, like gravity. You just need the right person to come along and give it words.

In the case of RIE, that person was Magda Gerber, a Hungarian early childhood educator who came up under communism under the guidance of her mentor, pediatrician Emmi Pikler. I've been told that if you went to a park in Budapest you would be able to spot the RIE children simply by the way they spoke, moved, and interacted with the world with confidence.



What is RIE?
RIE is all about treating the infant in your care with the respect and dignity that all humans deserve. While this may seem painfully obvious to some of you, I have been met with intense skepticism by early childhood educators when i have presented this at conferences. It seems that there is not a consensus on the personhood of young children.

What Does RIE Look Like?
-turn diapering time into quality one on one time
-always tell the infant what you are going to do in a calm voice, even if you think they won't understand.
-no baby talk. ever.
-before rushing to a crying child, give them an appropriate amount of time to self soothe.
-don't lift a child up onto playground equipment they can't get onto on their own, they wont be able to get down without your help.

This is a very brief introduction to RIE which is above all, a philosophy of action. I suggest that you pick up a book by Gerber, either Dear Parent: Caring for Infants With Respect (2nd Edition) or Your Self-Confident Baby: How to Encourage Your Child's Natural Abilities from the Very Start but be warned, they have a cheesy 80's cover hiding timeless wisdom. Above all, go do!