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Society Will Change—One Peaceful Parent at A Time
“What if war was not inevitable? What if tyranny, human rights abuses and ecological destruction were not inescapable? And what if the means to prevent them were in the hands of ordinary mums and dads, and all those involved in the care and education of children? Are these idealistic or Utopian flights of fancy? Not at all, if we consider some of the most valuable insights gained in recent years.” excerpt from Parenting for a Peaceful World by Robin Grille When I was in high school the 10,000 Maniacs’ song “What’s the Matter Here?” came out. The lyrics were a chilling reminder of how many children suffer daily at…
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Why Children Need Pets
I grew up with pets. As a matter of fact, my rather impulsive (he probably thought of himself as forward thinking) Dad brought home a puppy to my two brothers the day my Mom brought me home from the hospital. Because you know, an infant and a puppy go hand in hand. I’m sure the adult conversations in the house that day were not pleasant. Nevertheless, Pierre the poodle and I grew up pals. We had many hours of cuddles and talks in the night when I was small. When I was in the sixth grade, he was put down. I do not remember all the details of his illness, but one…
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What is Unschooling?
We ‘un’ school. But what does that mean? For us it means this: We do not approach learning the way most think of when they hear the word ‘school’. We eschew the traditional approach of going into a building filled with resources and plans, teachers and administrators, who are doling out a mandated curriculum during an inflexible time frame without much consideration for individuality all in the name of education. It could be concluded that if we don’t ‘do school’ then we must be lazy, unmotivated people who just like to sleep in and not be bothered with schedules or commitments. While part of that may be true, we do LOVE our…
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Getting out of the Way
We parents like to help. It’s what we do. When our children are struggling we feel compelled to assist, direct, or support. Sometimes, all this ‘help’ is counterproductive and inadvertently sends the message that you don’t trust your kids to do things on their own, to create, or problem solve without some adult supervision or input. If there is one constant statement repeating in my head it is this: “Back off, they are capable, be patient. When they want help, they will ASK ME for it.” The trick is to be available, but at a distance. Yesterday, my gal needed a curtain in order to properly create a fashion show…
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Learning to Read the Natural Way
I know it is hard to trust, but trust you must. Children can and will learn to read without school. This has been proven time and time again, yet it is a difficult concept to accept in a culture that spends billions of dollars on curriculum and programs to teach children how to read and start them as early as five. Naturally, when this kind of money is being spent it makes sense to defend the stance that reading must be directly taught, in a setting by certified individuals, and started as early as kindergarten. I am aware that there will always be outliers–those who do in fact need additional…
