I did not start Raise Wildflowers because I had all the answers. I started it because I had a question that would not leave me alone — what would childhood look like if we trusted children more and screens less?
The question that started it all
Before Raise Wildflowers was a name, it was a question. A question that came to me during my years teaching in Reggio-inspired classrooms, and then louder during my years as a mother.
What would childhood look like if we trusted children more and screens less?
What I saw in the classroom
I spent 15 years in early childhood education. I watched children build cities from blocks, negotiate conflicts with words, and lose themselves in hours of imaginative play.
I also watched, year by year, as something changed. Children arrived less able to focus. Less able to play independently. Less able to tolerate the quiet moments that creativity requires.
The variable that had changed most dramatically was screens.
What I saw at home
When my own children arrived, the question became personal. I saw how easily a screen could quiet a room, and how quickly it became the default.
I also saw what happened when we removed it. The first days were hard. The weeks that followed were transformative.
Why this had to exist
I started Raise Wildflowers because the families I was talking to needed more than a rule. They needed a reason. They needed the research, the philosophy, and the practical support to make a change that the rest of the culture was not making.
The TV Detox came first. Then the courses. Then the community of families who were all asking the same question I had been asking for years.
What I believe
I believe that children are born wildflowers, not houseplants. They do not need to be shaped and managed into something acceptable. They need soil, sunlight, and space to grow into who they already are.
I believe that screens are the single largest obstacle to that growth, not because technology is evil, but because it replaces the experiences children need most: boredom, play, connection, and nature.
This is just the beginning
Raise Wildflowers is not a finished product. It is a living project that grows with our family and the families who join us. Every article, every course, every resource is built on the same question that started it all.
What would childhood look like if we got out of the way?
