Ren Allen

"I'm sorry you were offended. "

I don't think anyone was offended..honest.
We're a bit blunt sometimes, but we really try to be gentle. It's a
lot of information to take in, all that mythbusting and such.

I think we should start our own series called "Parenting Mythbusters"
where we explode all the current theories about parenting.:)

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

Ren Allen

"So let's greet our children with love in the morning, our husbands
with a smile and a hug and all that we meet with a friendly, warm
smile and sincerely ask them how they are and take a minute to truly
listen to
that person. As one of my favourite sayings goes - it is not what we
said to someone that they will remember, it is not what we did to
someone that they will remember but they WILL remember how we made
them feel!"

Well that's just plain good advice. I don't like James Dobson, don't
care for his views on childrearing or any of that...but even someone I
don't care for can say something sensible once in a while!!

I don't think he was inclusive enough in his statement above though,
if it's directed towards wives, then some of them need to greet their
WIVES with a "smile and hug".:)

I don't think he wants to hear that though....snark, snark.

Ren
learninginfreedom.com

Mother Earth (Tyra)

>I think we should start our own series >called "Parenting Mythbusters"
>where we explode all the current theories >about parenting.:)

Ren,

I just wrote to another group that I belong something in this same vein. We have been discussing unschooling versus other styles of learning at home. We were discussing what students need to learn to go to college. A few of the other parents were saying that they teach their children what they need to learn to go to college because certain subjects are needed. I told them about the recent posting on this group where the mother said that she would meet with college officials and show her son's portfolio and resume, etc... I told them that what unschoolers help me to realize is that there is always out of the box experiences and approaches to life. Where everyone is taking Road A because that is what we are told we are supposed to do in order to arrive at Place A, unschoolers have helped me to realize that there are an infinite number of roads that can get me to Road A.

So many parents think that unschooling equals less parenting, but I believe that once parents talk to and see unschoolers in actions, it will make them realize that everything they were conditioned to believe makes a good parent is up for question. This group has definitely busted parenting myths for me, especially in the area of TV and candy eating. What I know that many parents don't understand is that there is so much more freedom in this way of living. I have more time to connect with my children rather than regulate them.

Much Love
Tyra

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