Today I’m super excited to announce my brand new Tiny Signs Online class. You can get all the details regarding a free preview of the class HERE and then keep on reading below for the story of how Tiny Signs came to be!
I knew becoming a mom would change things, but I never expected things would change as dramatically as they did.
When I was expecting my first baby, I planned to take a three-month maternity leave. I thought I’d take some time off, then head back to the career where I’d invested many years and where they anxiously awaited my return. We researched daycare options and picked one that suited our needs. We put a deposit down to hold a spot in the infant room. Done and done.
But as the weeks of my maternity leave ticked by, it became harder and harder for me to imagine dropping my new baby off at 7:30am and picking her back up at 6 or 6:30pm at night. My husband and I both worked long hours with significant commutes. With no family nearby, there was no way to avoid our new baby spending 10+ hours a day at daycare. And I just couldn’t wrap my brain around that.
Then I did something I never thought I’d do. I quit my job and became a stay-at-home mom – walking away from my career (and half of our household income!) in the process.
Let’s just say that becoming a SAHM was an adjustment! I’ve always been very career-oriented and am NOT a domestic goddess. I struggled with feeling like I wasn’t accomplishing anything.
I also wrestled with boredom. While caring for a baby certainly keeps you busy, it’s not the most stimulating way to spend a day. So I did what I could to keep things interesting. We took classes, I did some volunteering, and I read…a LOT…
One of the books I read was about baby sign language, a topic I was curious about. I dove in and gave it a try. Despite my lack of experience, within a week or two my daughter was signing back to me and it was amazing! Sure, I made a few mistakes, but I was blown away by this ability for my 8-month old to “talk” to me. It made parenting so much easier and a heck of a lot more FUN.
I started learning all I could about baby sign language – reading books, watching DVDs, and eventually taking American Sign Language classes too.
I fell in love with the language AND using it with babies. Before long, other moms started asking me how to get started signing and next thing I knew, I was hosting informal classes in my home – sharing what I had learned and enjoying connecting with other moms.
When my daughter started preschool and I was going to have a few mornings a week to myself, I decided to officially start Tiny Signs.
I rented space in a local church and started to spread the word. I was in business! I loved connecting with new parents and offering them support and guidance. It never gets old for me when a parent tells me of their baby signing for the first time! It’s SO exciting and I get to experience it over and over through my work.
That was more than 5 years ago and since then my program has grown and changed and I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds and hundreds of new parents and early childhood educators throughout the Boston area. I LOVE what I do and never would have imagined that walking away from my career eight years ago would create this amazing opportunity. I couldn’t have imagined this back then if I tried!
This summer, I did something I’ve been wanting to do for two years now… I offered my first online Tiny Signs class to a small group of new moms.
Teaching online was very different from my in-person classes, but still so much fun! I enjoyed the flexibility of working from home, and I really loved helping moms who might not have the time or proximity to take a class with me in person.
And I’m super excited to be doing it again this fall! Tiny Signs Online starts again next month and I’m offering a FREE mini-course starting October 1st so you can check it out for yourself.