Ren Allen

"The ways we were raised can tend to influence how we react, but that
neither makes right nor excuses the decisions we make. Yelling so
often seems to come out with our having never once thought of it."

I was raised by a "yeller" too...my Mom.
It's a natural reaction for me, but it rarely happens any longer. If
I start to raise my voice now, I usually catch myself and start
talking quieter, or just stop altogether.

The steps to mindful parenting are something I discussed with Sandra
in our talk at the conference. It's different for everyone, but
until I accepted the philosophies of unschooling wholeheartedly,
until I saw children as whole and perfect and doing the very best
they can at every moment, the gentleness couldn't take hold.

The way to peace is just to BE peaceful..it's that simple. There is
no remedy, there is no exact science to it, you just act peacefully
and you will begin to feel peace. The path to peace is peace.:)

Simple, and difficult.

Zen buddhism and unschooling were the most useful tools I ever
picked up.

Ren