Quotes about Journalling as a Parent (Sobel, Wild Play, 2011)

" Looking back over the result, it strikes me that I didn't really understand the developmental issues  at work or the appropriate ways for children to engage with nature until I was in each stage, working out the relationships among my children, the natural world, and myself. And the writing process itself helped me understand what I experienced and what I believe." David Sobel, p. 31, Wild Play (2011)

"...I hoped the journal would help me to listen more closely and to capture fleeting observations and reflections." Sobel, p.31, Wild Play (2011) 

"The process of keeping a journal about my children helped me to be a better parent and allowed me to think about how I wanted to cultivate their biological inclinations toward nature."  

Sobel also goes on to describe parenting and journalling as a type of ethnography (2011, p.33)...when a parent reflects as an observer and participant in the culture of their family life.