As a child I was taught that fashion and all it entails was "wordly" and that Barbie stuff promoted low self esteem. Baloney! What promoted low self esteem was being told my interests weren't worthy.
Ren Allen, on parents discouraging children's interests

You can attend a thousand Zen classes at a University and still not understand it because it is something that is internal. You can have a bunch of nice meditation products and still be angry. You can make a big deal out of living simply and still miss all the beauty around you.

It's not about the accoutrements but the "seeing with new eyes."

Sorta like unschooling.
You can read all the books, you can talk to unschoolers, attend a conference and join some lists. But until you GET IT at the internal level, until there is trust and a willingness to extend that trust to your children, unschooling is just a nice idea or philosophy to discuss...nothing more. For those that decide to learn to trust themselves and their children, they soon find their lives a bubbly, interesting swirl of natural learning.

—Ren        

People Magazine article
May 22, 2006

     Ren Allen

NEW: Ren's quoted in an article here: Oh, Yeah, School. About That….
She's in the "saved the best for last" position, and said some things worth keeping and thinking about!

On Being a Peaceful Parent

Mindful Parenting, by Ren Allen and Sandra Dodd
Now includes a sound file of the talk itself!

Ren on Mom's Interests Enriching Kids' Lives      

Parenting Peacefully (response, down in there somewhere)

Shared Experiences are Important
This has to do with TV, partly, and with relationships with our children, mostly.

Ren's shocking contributions to a TV debate in 2001

Unschooling with the Muse Live Free Learn Free article, March/April 2006

Scooping up Life
January-February 2004 Home Education Magazine article

Unschooling and the Art of Running
March-April 2003 Home Education Magazine article

Hearing Voices

"Mindful Parenting" - Ren Allen with Sandra Dodd
How does parenting style and choice affect unschooling? Why does mindful parenting play such an important role in the way unschooling develops?

Live and Learn store
There are a couple of Ren things available from 2006 (download or CD, I'm not sure).

Ren's Blogs

http://radicalunschooling.blogspot.com
http://teawithren.blogspot.com
Faces by Ren (Ren's newest blog, about her makeup artistry—you'll be surprised and impressed.)

Discussion List

UnschoolingBasics
A list designed for those new to the philosophy of unschooling. Ask questions, and find out how unschooling works in real families. Listowners: Ren Allen and Kelly Lovejoy


Some other favorite unschooling writers:
 *  Joyce Fetteroll  *  Pam Sorooshian  *  Schuyler Waynforth  *  Robyn Coburn  *  Jenny Cyphers  * 
Deb Lewis  *  Mary Gold  *  Danielle Conger  *  Lyle Perry  *  Kelly Lovejoy  *  Dan Vilter  *