Saturday, February 28, 2015

They *know* things.

Teens who were always unschooled *know* things that other people don't know. My children, for example, know one can learn to read without being taught. teenaged Marty, Holly, Kirby, on their way to a van to go to a partyThey don't think it, kind of believe it, or have a theory about it. They know that it's possible to be honest and trust your parents. They know it's possible for a fourteen year old girl to hang out with her older brothers pleasantly and at their request. They understand why those with unlimited TV in their own rooms can go a long time without turning it on, or why they might want to leave it on to sleep. They have years of experience with the fact that someone with the freedom to choose to stay awake will get sleepy at some point and want to go to bed and sleep. They all understand when it's worth going to sleep even though fun things are going on, and they know how to decide when it's worth setting an alarm to get up.

There are many adults who don't know those things.

"Unschooled Teens: How are they as people?"
SandraDodd.com/teen/people
photo by Sandra Dodd, of three teens on the way to a party together, long ago
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Friday, February 27, 2015

A changing environment

Many parents want to change the child, instead of changing the child's environment by (in large part) changing themselves.dad and daughter walking on fallen leaves on sidewalk
SandraDodd.com/being
photo by Chrissy Florence

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Softer and Safer

The Parenting Peacefully page has something at the bottom about making better choices. This can move you from wherever you are to wherever you want to be. It will take dozens or thousands of choices, and sometimes you'll be hungry or angry or tired and might speak or act in a way you didn't choose—that just popped out—but if you see it as a single moment, a single incident, and put THAT in with the bad examples, you can be a softer, safer element in your child's life and in your own.


SandraDodd.com/choices
photo by Sandra Dodd
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The distant future...

If you're looking up at the Sky of Imagined Tomorrow, you're going to stumble on something with your very next step. Look at where you are.old tree with many roots above ground, growing around rocks
SandraDodd.com/moment
photo by Colleen Prieto

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Air and sunshine

Lay your fears out to dry in the air and sunshine.
SandraDodd.com/gradualchange
photo by Janine (click it, and again, for details)
(I'm grateful to Mia Fiore for saying something nice about the quote, and so inspiring me to use it.)

Monday, February 23, 2015

Being; trusting; seeing

"Unschooling, in a very real sense, is a mindfulness practice. Being in the moment with our children, trusting the flow of life, seeing our connections to them and to all of the universe."
—Ren Allen

SandraDodd.com/parentingpeacefully
I don't remember who took the photo, but it's of me, Marty and Kirby

Sunday, February 22, 2015

They just like it


My children have curiosity and joy and compassion. I will not trade that for all the worksheets in the state. My children have never 'gotten an F' and they've never gotten an A. They like learning because they like it.

SandraDodd.com/media/ABQjournal
photo by Lisa Jonick
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