Don't be embarrassed about what other people think.
Let the movies lead 18 directions. Use the remote. Pause, rewind, use IMDB and google to find out more, more more!!
photo by Sandra Dodd
__
Don't be embarrassed about what other people think.
Let the movies lead 18 directions. Use the remote. Pause, rewind, use IMDB and google to find out more, more more!!
Children play with toy guns. Sometimes those guns squirt water, or fire little Star Trek phaser disks, or they shoot light. Some of them make noise.
There is no young-child gun play so violent as a mother saying "NO. I said NO!" to a young child who has dared to pick up a friend's toy gun.
During a drought, what is lacking?
The recommended answer: rain |
Probably some families make rules so that their kids will learn to follow rules. It's possible. Too much practice can kill the joy, though. Being forced to play an instrument can create an adult who doesn't even bother to own one of the instruments he knows how to play, because how he's out of school he doesn't "have to." If someone made me practice eating before every meal, I wouldn't be very hungry. | ![]() |
Don't spend money at first. Read, meet other families, let your children have time to do what they're interested in, or what they weren't allowed to do before because of school.
![]() |
While the children are recovering, the parents can learn about what they want to do and why, and how. There is more online about homeschooling than anyone could ever read. Find the writers and ideas that make sense to you, and pursue that. Don't rush into anything. Parents should learn to be calm and thoughtful instead of panicky and reactionary. It's better for health and decision-making, and it sets a good example for the children. Don't live in fear when you can live in joy.
![]() | Don't look at what can be learned. Look at what IS learned. If the parents can change their point of view and expectations and understanding well enough, they will see learning all the time.
There's no advantage in looking at what you wish or hope a child will learn. Look at what he learns. |
Gradually you will notice more and more learning,
and soon it will be happening all the time!
![]() | "Seeing our life work, our choices through the eyes of gratitude changes everything. When financial difficulties set in, I can be grateful for our health, for our togetherness and the true wealth we DO enjoy in this country. When I'm sick, I can be grateful I have family to care for me and that I can recover from whatever is ailing me, unlike many folks suffering much worse fates." —Ren Allen |
The wonderfulness of others will not diminish you. Your realization of the wonderfulness of others will enlarge you.
Don't miss this fun and easy opportunity to tie different "subjects" together by using a song as a jumping off place to many different discussions. If you need ideas, name a song here and see how many suggestions you can get for it!
2012:
What's above was written in 1993. Someone named "Blue Suede Shoes," thinking it wouldn't net much. I just wrote and wrote that day, and luckily I printed it out and saved it. The link below leads to my response, commentary and a video of Elvis doing another song, that leads to another song, and... you know.
Wanting to learn, and making the choice to be in a school when one has the choice to leave without shame or punishment is a world apart from "no choice" and "have to." | ![]() |
You don't get another chance to be the mom to these kids right now, today. When they are grown and gone from you, you can have the cleanest house in the neighborhood. But what is the most important thing today? What will you be happier remembering in your old age; that your house always looked nice or that your kids were happy? What will your children be happy to remember about their time with you? Dirty houses always wait for you to get around to them. Children don't, and shouldn't have to.
Happy, happy, happy.
![]() | We treated our children as guests, in many ways, as they were new to the world and we invited them into our home by having children in the first place. |
When deciding whether it's worth the money to go to an unschooling conference, factor in the money you saved by not buying a curriculum for each child.
|
I realize that not everyone can attend a conferences,
but for those who can, it can be a great advantage. —Sandra
Water handed to you nicely is a lot nicer than water slammed at you and sloshed. It's got to be better for you, because you can drink it calmly and sweetly, without trying to choke it down when you feel like you're going to cry. Be gentle. | ![]() |
![]() | Some parents label unschooling as "child-led learning," and so they think they're going from "parent led" life to "child led" life, but the balance point is that the family learns to live together harmoniously.
Harmony makes many things easier. When there is disharmony, everyone is affected. When there is harmony, everyone is affected too. So if it is six of one or half a dozen of the other (right between none and a full dozen), go with harmony instead! |
![]() |
"Wishing the past were different to make the present different doesn't change the present. Only making changes in the present does that." —Joyce Fetteroll |
You need a combination of different types on your team.
The best moves take a lot of practice to learn. Don’t mess with a Charizard! | ![]() |
"Self discipline" is like "self regulation." It's still about discipline and rules. How and why should one discipline and regulate oneself, when decision making in the light of compassion and goodness will work much better? | ![]() |
People breathe all the time. People are not always conscious of it, though, and so their breathing simply keeps them alive. Beyond basic function, there are heights of mindfulness and awareness you can reach up to with conscious breathing. Breathe before you act. Breathe before you speak. Breathe before you play. Breathe before you work. Breathe before you sleep. Breathe when you wake up. Breathe when you think of your child. | ![]() |
![]() |
There are no "violent video games." Kids are sitting on a couch in their parents' home pushing buttons on a remote control. That's not hurting them or anyone else. (Or young adults are home sitting and pushing buttons, instead of being out drinking or vandalizing something.) In every single case of real-life violence anyone can think of, wouldn't it have been better if the perpetrator had been home on the couch than out causing trouble? 🙂 | ![]() |
"If a frustrated child is frustrating you, then find ways to eliminate things that frustrate your child."
—Jenny Cyphers | ![]() |
The one thing I've been thinking about this week is that unschooling is a profoundly optimistic decision and that it involves a huge commitment to living a very optimistic life. I'm going to talk more about what I mean by that and what happens when children grow up that way—kind of amazing.