Last episode, we learned about how we might misuse our authority over our children. In this episode, we get to start talking about the respectful and effective tools we can use to teach our children. Charlotte Mason broke it down into three tools of education: the atmosphere of environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas. I talked about the atmosphere of education in a previous episode that you can listen to here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4M38jFsejej7YD0NNGjA1M?si=2ec02ed201d24804

So we will skip that for now and move onto habits. Why are they important and how do we intentionally form them?

Charlotte Mason's fourth principle adds onto the third. Yes, we have been given authority over our children, but we are not to misuse this authority. We are to act in kindness and respect the personhood of our children.

Obedience can be an uncomfortable word for some people. I know it used to be a hard one for me. I wasn't sure if I should expect obedience from my children because I was unsure of my role as a mother. Charlotte Mason stated how we all need to be obedient, not just children, and that obedience leads to safety and a life of following Christ. In this episode, we discuss how the principles of obedience and authority make for a happy parent/child relationship.