GEMMA born in 2004, G roup EM MA nancy and motherhood. Four mothers (Cecilia Ruiz, Rosa Sorrentino, Helena Ferrero and Xesca Vargas) decided to give life to a maternity group i and independently cover the need for a meeting, consultation and support. Of these four mothers only Cecilia went to the office, coordinating and taking responsibility of the group until 2009.
During these years, the group offered GEMMA weekly meetings, participated in actions and social policies and showed the great strength of women's networks.
In 2009 the group continued without the figure of Cecilia, so that all cooperate and take responsibility as far as we want without being directly responsible, showing great creativity that we as women and mothers when we are together. We began to gather in the park to find a new space, enabling a new website, designed a new flyer and began to meet without delay to receive the new mothers who might be in need of support.
These days the group is a weekly meeting place for mothers who help and support each other during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum and upbringing of their children. organize lectures and professional workshops when there is a subject that interests us. All mothers who have gone through all these years GEMMA are in contact with a large distribution list email. We have a small library and offer advice on issues that concern us.
GEMMA always say we are all mothers who have gone through the group, who are mothers GEMMA.
- Who can join Gemma and how? Is it just for women? What kind of people are in the group?
We are an open group, free and open ; interested in any aspect of pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and parenting from the absolute respect for natural processes and processes themselves of every being. Defend therefore conscious pregnancy, natural childbirth, prolonged breastfeeding, cosleeping, baby carriers ...
No need to share and practice what we advocate to assist the group, but made it clear that what is going to support and advise is total respect to the baby-child, all are welcome the world, but are not behavioral methods and other practices disrespectful. So we receive with empathy for mothers who come with different ideas and we at heart, but without delay, give them all the information we have within reach and our tips on what we believe and defend. Then she returns to the group decides whether or not knowing what unites us. GEMMA is a support group for mothers with interests that are largely supported by society, society is responsible for supporting other roads where we do not have room, so we create a space of respect, to share freely what we believe.
The group is open to anyone interested in sharing aspects that accompany the stages of pregnancy, birth and parenting: parents, grandparents, babysitters, teachers ... but mostly attended by mothers, but sometimes some occasionally are accompanied by their partners or their mothers.
- How did you meet and why you decided to join him?
What has brought us all this group is a necessity to find the same, people with similar ideology to ours to share honestly with issues of this stage of our lives as women. Most of us were in environments where it was received with respect and support the way they understood and lived this stage of our lives, and basically, how we understood life.
Motherhood is a time of strong emotional experiences, and almost always involves a revolution of values \u200b\u200band a new layout of their lives. Many mothers GEMMA have refocused their lives radically, changing jobs or residence to live more in tune with what they felt, many say that their decision had a lot of weight group.
When the path chosen for breeding or for delivery is not socially accepted, it becomes essential to the support of a "tribe", to share doubts and decisions are taken.
I sought an environment, a "home" where you feel comfortable to talk about what bothered me and what I felt, to see the realities of what was in my heart, totally loved and respected children and how they grew. All groups found were private, were services which had to make a financial contribution. At the end I found GEMMA, the group came to me, I think.
When the group got everything I needed, I decided to attend the meetings to return all the energy he had received, offering my experiences, as something mutual. To date my attendance has been reduced because not a place where children are the protagonists and my 2 year old son is not comfortable for too long. I have participated in the creation of a new set of shared parenting, a space for children where adults accompany them. But I know I'll GEMMA for my second pregnancy and motherhood, is a cyclic group.
- What kind of activities take place?
Today
basically met weekly and talked for two hours with our babies and children. We have a library and audiovisual material for consultation or loan.
When a topic we are interested, look for ways to organize a lecture or workshop, we often invite professionals. The group announced in our e-mail to all mothers are aware of it and publish on the web.
- What professionals have worked with you (with lectures, for example)?
Since I am a mother Gemma has been talk about sex, baby carriers, cloth diapers, baby food, we even visited a pediatric dentist and now we are planning a talk about free education. Anyone can propose a talk and can be arranged if agreed and in line with the group's ideology.
-Gemma promotes a kind of parenting that should be instinctive and natural. Why are they needed maternity and parenting groups?
I think women have lost or not we are in tune with our instincts, our nature. The maternal postpartum and offer the opportunity to rediscover our true femininity, of becoming aware of it and live it with delivery. Basically for mothers raising respectful GEMMA is not a path we have "chosen" among many, but the path we have shown connecting with our instincts and inner emotions. But let's say that this is not commonly shared and accepted today and this will create "doubts".
Our society does not welcome this type of parenting does not support most minimum and it is difficult to reconcile with the social rhythms in place (workplace, etc ...). Because parenting is a reflection of each society, how we want our children, and the goal here today is to be independent and autonomous as soon as possible so that parents can keep producing in the labor market, to get everything back to "normalcy" that existed before the baby arrives. I personally feel that children have no place in this society we have organized, often seem to bother them, as also happens with the elderly .
The biggest problem is that to quickly get to be "independent" does not respect the internal processes of development of each child (such as removing the diaper before you are ready, wanting to sleep alone and in his own room, plus other behavioral practices similar). This can cause emotional insecurities future, apart from emotional harm them much during the process.
society's intention is to "create" independent, but just the opposite happening: we did not get us with a unique personality, with a critical sense, we fail to recognize what our real interests and personal ... and consequently do not get to be happy. We just loved being only product we have accumulated much information without knowing how to manage it and some emotional problems.
Raising respectful do not share the managerial practices towards children , but not just because they can be harmful, but because we feel the mothers and fathers who practice because we could not otherwise raise, because we are in tune with mother earth and because we live with awareness. The maternity and parenting groups offer us a refuge, a binding site, energy and creativity of women.
- How to develop the meetings of the group?
Every day a mother is responsible for opening the room and prepare it and another to pick up and close. There is a mother in charge of the library and adding other new mothers to the mailing list, etc ...
The mother opened the meeting moderated room, basically so they do not end up doing small groups for discussion during the meeting, so that has a single subject at all times, not to overreach the issues if there are other mothers who want to share that day, etc ...
opens a cycle of presentations of ourselves and our children and each one raises the topic you want, doubts, joys ... need to share some have and others just to listen. Often questions are unsolvable, but we just shared if any, to ponder, to see that others are in the same or who have already passed.
most recurrent themes are breastfeeding (the night feedings with children aged 2-3 years), co-sleeping, maternity leave, vaccination, pediatricians, complementary feeding, family rejection .. .
children are with us always, except mothers of older children already in small schools (although some do not send their children), some are so small that neither downloaded from the headscarf, others sit on our laps and passed the time sucking, the most intrepid crawl or scamper around us, our circle of women.
- What would you recommend to women who want to start a breeding group in your area?
That look if there is one near your home. Asking in schoolhouses free at health food stores, for example. Searching on the Internet network in sensitive content with raising respectful, breastfeeding, etc ...
And if there is, believe it! Just need to come together several Moms! In the park, a house, or on a rotating basis, to seek a place of public sale in community centers, neighborhood associations, or perhaps a private (consumer cooperatives have their premises without use several hours a day, example). Most mothers would love to find a group, known as a mother with similar ideas discuss the issue.
Communication signs before they learn to say 'mama', English classes after three months , `kill 'from two years ... Welcome to the world of stimulation early. Is it useful for something or is it just a fad that makes up the shortcomings of the education system? Can you determine the professional future of our children or have fallen into the last snare of the service industry to parenthood? The debate has only just begun. The class is over and children saying goodbye to the `seño '. For an hour, 15 students have studied English and mathematics, received a lesson in road safety education, mammals have been reviewed and have provided a self-portrait of Van Gogh.
When parents ask them what they did, they respond in their own way. Maitane still impressed with the biography of Van Gogh, and vaguely reminiscent of an ear was cut "because his head hurt." A 'compete' corrects' Malita had his head ", referring to the alienation of genius. "I was unwell the 'welcome'," qualifies the other, refine the diagnosis. "It was sickening," Maitane follows. "I was deaf in one ear," Claudia sentence.
Students in this bilingual early learning center Brisbane, Castro Urdiales (Cantabria), aged between 18 months and three years old. Have not heard too, but no matter. "At no time pursuing the child memorize or repeat anything. The goal is not that. What we seek is to create new connections and neural circuits, to give the child skills that will serve for life, and create new interest in him while we satisfy their enormous curiosity, "says Rosina Uriarte, director of the center, which follows the method of Dr. Glenn Doman, whose research focused at first on the rehabilitation of children with brain injuries and that, in view of the results, decided to apply also to healthy babies. His technique is known bits of intelligence, some cards with visual stimuli: words, mathematical sets and images encyclopedia. The class is going at full speed. "At these ages, the activities have to be short and fast, or lose the child's attention. In the bits we show planets, animals, architecture ... Is a collection of ten images you teach them for ten days straight, while it's named for a higher volume than usual. It's the same principle as the TV ads, which you repeat the learn much by accident. There are images that pass quickly, because if you do not get bored. They always want more, "describes Uriarte.
All activities are in English and English. "Until four years the brain is structurally prepared for the acquisition of languages. It is what theorists call the temporal window. Once past this age window is closed and the language learning will involve great effort. The reason is that all languages \u200b\u200buse the same frequencies. However, higher frequencies differ greatly. English, for example, uses a variety of high-pitched sounds, ranging from 2,000 to 12,000 hertz. The Castilian uses frequencies from 1,000 to 3,000 hertz. In practice, we are 'deaf' to the frequencies used in other languages. But if children hear them very young, you create circuits between neurons. When we tell a story in English do not pretend to understand. What we want is to consolidate these brain circuits to become long term, information highway, "explains the teacher.
Parents face a new dilemma in our country. If until recently the great dilemma was whether enrolling their children in a public or private school, now have to make decisions much earlier. Do we carry the child to daycare or early learning center? At what age? The answer is usually hysterical asap! What type of school? Because supply has increased to reach a sophistication that confuses the best of us. Method " Doman? "Gardner's multiple intelligences System? "Baby signing of nonverbal communication? "Kumon math? "Music as the Tomatis method or Suzuki? "English with Helen Doron or Jolly Phonics? Not counting the extras: swimming, Mandarin, playful environments at Gymboree ... There are even cooking classes for creatures that feed on baby food yet. And what about the MBA for children three years, with lessons in economics and business administration, enrollment at 2,000 euros! Thankfully, for now, only offered in China ...
A dozen international franchises have landed in Spain. It's a new market niche. Is premature to talk about figures, but the journalist Pamela Paul, in his book Parenting, Inc., on the costs of parenthood, estimates that annual spending per child in America has doubled since 1958. In Spain, the kids account for 60 percent of household spending. The annual cost in education, toys and leisure between 2,940 and 10,400 euros in rich countries.
One of the key issues in infant stimulation is when to start reading. Some argue that babies are taught, others that it is counterproductive to start before six years. In fact, they are not talking about the same. There are two methods basic learning. The best known is the syllable (the alliteration "My mother spoils me" you learn with primer). Spatial organization and requires the child to have very clear concepts of left and right, a function that is not usually acquire skills to six or seven years. Is taught in school. The problem is that it puts pressure on teachers to teach the method syllable from three or four years. A study by the University of Cambridge and discouraged it gives an example of Finland, the country holding the top spot on reading skills, math and science. The cole starts at age seven. Previously, children engaged in ... play.
Then there is the overall interpretation that is used in early learning. For example, it teaches the baby the word 'table'. And he shows a card with the entire word is pronounced while loudly. The small tends to see the word as a whole. Does not look at the letters. The visual memory is usually better than the hearing, thus, little is familiar with the written word. Over time, say the advocates of this system can be read without being conscious of having learned to read, like spoken language. An eye should not put babies to write. No skipping steps. And most importantly, is a game, "warns the child educator Rosina Uriarte.
In any case, the term `early learning ', become a mantra, it has been incorporated into the educational offer with a rapidity bewildering that is changing the concept of pre-school, as at the time the university went decorating with a multitude of masters and postgraduate. And it is time to not settle for the simplistic explanation that the parents, with delusions of grandeur, wish their children to be Oscar Wrigley, the English child of two years with Einstein's IQ has been accepted with great pomp in Mensa, the association gifted international. This is pure survival in a system where educational failure is overwhelming (in Spain, four in ten secondary students repeat grades.) What many parents have in their heads, but are loath to admit it, is that their children gain competitiveness in the educational career.
A career that does not begin at age six, when they come to school. Many parents believe that advancing the starting gun will give their children an advantage that, ultimately, serve to have more opportunities than their peers desk. It describes what the German sociologist Berthold Vogel in his essay The decline of the middle class. The precariousness of being. "The early stimulation is no longer an elitist affair. We are facing middle-class parents trying to fight their own lack of training with an excess of zeal. They are vulnerable to unemployment and overwhelmed by the future. The fear that their children may not achieve its own level of life leads them to offer a perfect training schedule has already taken over his desire competitive. "
perfect That agenda involves a danger of hyperstimulation. "We fall into the mistake of thinking the more activities that make our children more intelligent. Today we find guys with the agenda of an executive. And do not bombard them with so many proposals, "warns psychologist Adriana Sarasa. Another pernicious effect of overstimulation is that children are increasingly the lowest level of frustration. This translates into impatience and inability to concentrate.
And the doctor Juan Casado, service manager at Children's Hospital of Infant Jesus of Madrid, even talk of a new form of abuse. "These are children that even before going to school get a full program of stimulation and training that takes all the daylight hours, making the balanced development of personality." Lounging on a Sunday with parents can be a beneficial, but get bored.
addition, the time spent with parents is important. Eulalia Torres de Bea, a renowned child psychiatrist, is blunt: "The baby's neurons develop according to the quality of the stimuli that are interacting with parents: hugs, kisses, touches, sounds, voices, mime ... All this enriches your nervous system, emotional strength and knowledge of the world and himself. " Is contrary to advance the socialization of baby born too early to kindergarten.
One of the preconceptions about early learning is that these kids are bored in school, are proud, and do not play with others believing themselves superior. Pablo Pascual Sorrentino, teacher and director solohijos.com content, disagrees: "Those who are bored most are those who can not keep pace with the class. And they go bad because the lack of success undermines their self-esteem. "
early learning specialists are defended. The game is paramount in most of the methods and the involvement of parents. And the children play pump. However, Uriarte called common sense. "This is not to create genius. Our goal is to support kids in their development, no pressure to get his children to be ten. Is the educational system puts pressure on them, which skips the stage, which aims to start Primary ability to read and write. And he has students in preschool sitting on chairs, making chips, where it is very important that they move. The soil phase is critical. Crawling is an exercise that works mature brain and ocular convergence, very important for reading and transmitting information from one hemisphere to another. "Furthermore, there are no exams. And, therefore, no wrong answers. Nor was torpedoed lagging self-esteem. So when Gaizka, to the Picasso Harlequin in the mirror, cries convinced that Pikachu painted it, it's just an anecdote. Two years old. When you talk at school of Cubism, not to sound Chinese.
