“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.”
(Henry David Thoreau)

This may seem like common sense, but far too many parents overlook this obvious fact: Children are unique individuals who grow and mature at their own pace. We love to compare milestones and accomplishments of even the youngest of tots and with the plethora of information available to us we can do so nonstop.

But heed this warning: Comparing your child to others rarely does anyone any good. If we’re honest, we usually do it to relieve our own anxiety and guess what happens in the process? We create even more. Relax. Enjoy your child and let him or her hear the drummer they hear rather than the constant pounding of the pressure you put on them to measure up to their peers.

Peace begins with pause,