Here and now

Don't have so much of past and future in your head that you can't live now.

SandraDodd.com/random
photo by Sandra Dodd

Climbing mountains and baking pies

In response to someone saying her child would rather take the easy route than try something tough, Joyce Fetteroll wrote:

It's human nature to avoid what we feel is a waste of time, energy and resources.
It's also human nature to pour energy into what we find fascinating.

If someone is made to climb a mountain, they'll find the easiest path, and perhaps even cheat.

If someone desires to climb a mountain, they may even make it more difficult—challenging—for themselves if the route doesn't light their fire.

If it were human nature to go the easy route, I wouldn't be sitting here writing out a response! No one would write a novel. No one would climb Mt. Everest. No one would bake a cherry pie from scratch. No one would have kids.

—Joyce Fetteroll

SandraDodd.com/joyce/pressure
Photo by Sandra Dodd, of Holly Dodd riding a steam train restored and largely operated by volunteers. The easy route would have been for them to stay home and read books and watch movies about trains.
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Better than school

If you're going to unschool, it needs to be better than school. If that involves getting mental, emotional or physical therapy for the parents, then do it! The house doesn't work if the roof is leaking and there's no heat. Parents don't work if they're in an emotional fog and can't pay sweet attention to their kids.


Healing Presence
photo by Sandra Dodd

I'm positive!

"Being able to find the wonder in small things contributes to being more positive."

—Marta Venturini

SandraDodd.com/chats/wonder
photo by Sandra Dodd
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All over the place

Children learn when they're not with parents, too! They're learning all the time, all over the place.

SandraDodd.com/mha
photo by James Daniel
of Holly Dodd in 2009 at Rex Features office in London,
delivering 1967 David Bowie artifacts to be photographed

Time and space

Children need recovery time, and space, and peace, if they've been schooled, before their curiosity and joy can return.

SandraDodd.com/deschooling/kids
photo by Sandra Dodd
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Make a loved one smile

Alex Polikowsky wrote:

He will not learn to be spoiled if he gets everything he wants—no one gets every little thing they want. But he will learn that his parents will try to give him everything he wants—if possible. He will learn about family budget and money and economics and most of all he will learn the joy of giving something that makes a loved one smile.

—Alex Polikowsky

SandraDodd.com/generosity
photo by Sandra Dodd, of a carousel in The Netherlands
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