Ren Allen

I just saw this over at UD. I couldn't help but think of Anastasia's
husband and think that maybe she could share the letter from this
teen's Dad with her dh. It's sad, but it makes a REALLY good case
for unschooling and the kind of parenting we advocate here.

http://www.mike-thompson.org/pages/1/index.htm

I'm also posting Sandra's response to this, which was really great...

Posted by Sandra Dodd:
I thought for a while about whether to let this announcement through
to the
list, but after I read the dad's website, I thought I should.

This information can help people understand unschooling better, I
think, or
at least to appreciate the value of the kind of parenting we have
long promoted
on this list, even in the face of criticism and rejection.

On a day when this boy is missing, I was saying yes to Marty who
wanted to go
and do something at 7:00 in the morning (I could have said no, but I
said yes
because it wasn't going to hurt anyone for him to stand in line for
18 hours
to try to get an XBox 360). On a day when a 16 year old who has been
sheltered has run away, my 19 year old who has enjoyed huge amounts
of freedom
chose
to sit down (in the restaurant where he's employed) after his shift
ended
with me, his sister, and another unschooling family and talk for
nearly an hour,

even though there were cooler people, and friends his age, in the
restaurant.

Children cannot choose to be with their families if they have no
choice.

The relationships parents have with their children ARE important to
the
children's growth, learning and safety. In not keeping my children
sheltered,
I
have children who voluntarily come home every night. A life of
pressure,
nagging, pushing, guilt and sheltering has resulted in a teen who
would rather
risk the dangers of traveling alone than to stay home. If running
away seems
safer and freer than being at home, perhaps there should have been a
safer,
freer way for that family to live.

If I knew where Michael Thompson was and that he was safe, I would
just write
to his parents and tell them so. I'd probably send them some
unschooling
links, and then get a hateful e-mail, and that would be that. I
would not call

the sheriff and help them return them to his parents, who make him
work and
make him feel giuilty that they gave up careers and professional
success for
him.

Though I do feel for his parent's and their fears, and I hope he's
well and
that he contacts them, I hope the situation can be resolved without
him being
forced back into the same situation (or worse, as sometimes happens
when
runaways return and are then grounded and shamed).

Sandra

k

That page now says "Thank you for visiting. We have located our son."
Ah well. What I get for being so far behind in my email. Anybody
happen to have saved a copy of the story? I'd love to have a copy as
the story is now gone. Just curious to read it.

Thanks, Kathe



Ren Allen wrote:
> I just saw this over at UD. I couldn't help but think of Anastasia's
> husband and think that maybe she could share the letter from this
> teen's Dad with her dh. It's sad, but it makes a REALLY good case for
> unschooling and the kind of parenting we advocate here.
>
> http://www.mike-thompson.org/pages/1/index.htm
>
> I'm also posting Sandra's response to this, which was really great...
>
>
> Posted by Sandra Dodd: I thought for a while about whether to let
> this announcement through to the list, but after I read the dad's
> website, I thought I should.



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