Knowing and sharing happily

Joyce Fetteroll wrote:

If they are asking for help, they need help. It's not because they are too lazy. It's because the process doesn't come easily to them yet (nor has it been made something to look forward to) and it's not worth the effort for what they want out of it. By insisting they look things up themselves, you are saying — from their point of view — "Looking things up is for kids"; "Yes, I know the answer but I'm not giving it to you. Go get your own answer"; "Looking things up isn't a fun thing or I would help you do it."

If you asked your husband for something in his area of expertise, what would make you feel better about asking again: "There's the book. You're perfectly capable of looking that up," or him happily explaining the answer to you, perhaps showing you things in books and letting his eagerness infect you?

—Joyce Fetteroll

When Does Independence Arrive?
photo by Cátia Maciel

Your kids know

Joyce wrote:

He can feel you hovering over him waiting for him to do something that will calm your fears.

Sandra adds:

Your children know when you're anxious or nervous. Don't think you're sneaking up on them. It's important to relax, not just to pretend to be relaxed.

JoyfullyRejoycing.com/how-to-unschool
photo by Susan Gaissert

❖

Inside, outside, up and down

"A sense of wonder" slows the world down, and allows for some quiet thought without a destination or special purpose.

Curiosity and questions usually lead to answers, but wonder doesn't need to. It's fine if it does (in the "I wonder why..." way), but there is a separate, still wonderment that can arrive wordlessly and quietly.

Perhaps allow a moment of silence, for wonderful mysteries.

SandraDodd.com/wonder
These are the photos on the "Wonder" page. I took the first one, at Alex Polikowsky's house. Theresa Larson captured that beautiful rainbow and the changes of light, in southern New Mexico.Gail Higgins saw the sky in a puddle in North Carolina.

Seeing through

Most of what happens in the world, I will never see.

Most of what happens in my own back yard, I don't see.

Most of what I see, I don't understand, or fully consider. That's the way the world is. That's the way people are.

You will see some beauty.
You will understand some things.

SandraDodd.com/seeing
photo by Kristy Hinds
So much, in that photo!

Kid Eats Apple

Catherine wrote once upon a time:

One for the "they'll never eat anything but junk" people—yesterday evening after we got back from trick or treating and I walked past my 5 y.o. sitting with her basket of candy at the table and noticed that one of the first things she had eaten was the apple she got from our next-door neighbor.

— Cat (Catherine Aceto)

SandraDodd.com/eating/halloween
photos by Kirby Dodd (top)
and Marty Dodd, 2026

Dressing up and BEING

Most children and many adults like to find chances to dress up, one way or another. When you have a chance to encourage and to help kids exercise their pretend play, please do!

If children tell you who they are, when they're being another character, try to play along.

Dress up and play
photo by Sandra Dodd, in 2010, of kids who are college-age now.

Random connections

Birds that begin with "K":

Bird photos by unschooling moms!

A kestrel and a kookaburro, found in my Just Add Light and Stir photo folder, and who remind me to encourage random-access world, and random-connection life!

SandraDodd.com/connections
photos by Karen James and by Christine Milne