R&R supports all kinds of learning -- physical feats, emotional control and social behavior. Children learn by repetition and imitation. Rather than parents trying to push or prod their child at random moments, by doing the same things day in and day out, learning takes place naturally and organically.

R&R avoids problems by helping parents to set clear boundaries and to be consistent. Toddlers constantly test parents' limits, and parents often cave under the stress, which only makes their children more manipulative. R&R helps us structure situations and lay out expectations ahead of time -- in which case we're less likely to find we have an out-of-control toddler on hand.

R&R allows everyone to slow down and to make the most mundane moments into meaningful times of connection. What could be more special than bath or story time? And if we parents slow ourselves down and imbue these events with intention ("I will use bedtime to connect with my child"), we are also teaching our children by example how to put greater meaning into everyday moments.

Raising my own daughters, I employed lots of R&R. I kept mostly to a structured routine, even before they were old enough to understand time, so they always knew what came next. For example, when I came in from work, they knew they would have a full hour of my complete attention. Nothing was allowed to cut into our time. I didn't do chores; I didn't talk on the phone. Because they weren't old enough to tell time, I set a timer, and they knew that when it rang I had to make dinner and tend to other tasks around the house. They were always willing to let me go because they felt so nourished by the time we'd spent together.