Generalizations vs Specifics
lillybluelilly
My name is Lilly, I am 39 years old and my daughter Twyla is 14 months. I am exploring the space between the fears that evoke knee jerk reactions in me and the reality of bringing the principles of Unschooling into our home. I am watching how ingrained ideas about child safety and health can get in the way of the reality of my daughter and her needs, experiences and abilities. I am moving from generalizations and fear, to trust and presence with my daughter and the reality of each moment.
For example my old thinking says "it is unsafe for children to play with money because they could swallow it and choke." Twyla noticed jars of coins sitting on my desk. She clearly wanted to play with them. I sat with her on the floor and she poured all the coins out of the glass jar, then put them all carefully back in. Then she put the coins in her pram. She put a few in her mouth, then spat them out and handed them to me saying "Ta Mama".
Old thinking "It is unhealthy for a child under two to watch television". At a friends place Twyla found the television remote control and learned which button turned the TV on. She turned it on and off over and over again. She learned how to change the channels, and change the volume, and turn on the blue screen for watching DVD's. She loved looking at the blue screen and turning it from black to blue. If I had said no because of my fear and judgement I would never have witnessed such beautiful moments of exploration and discovery.
Old thinking "Children need to go to sleep before they get too over tired and you miss the window". Last night Twyla was really excited. She was practicing walking on the the bed and experimenting with throwing herself backwards. It started getting 'late'. She started playing peekaboo and giggling. Then she got off the bed and went to her book shelf and pulled lots of books off the shelf. She chose one to read. She wanted me to read it over and over again. I read it about 10 times. It got a bit later. I started getting tired and went to lie down. She came and joined me and fell asleep almost immediately on my breast.
There is a huge gap between general fears and the reality of Twyla and the precious moments of her life.
I am just at the very beginning of learning how to bring the principles of Unschooling into the heart of our lives. I am enjoying the process.
Does anyone know of any groups or Unschoolers in Sydney, Australia?
Have a wonderful day
Lilly
For example my old thinking says "it is unsafe for children to play with money because they could swallow it and choke." Twyla noticed jars of coins sitting on my desk. She clearly wanted to play with them. I sat with her on the floor and she poured all the coins out of the glass jar, then put them all carefully back in. Then she put the coins in her pram. She put a few in her mouth, then spat them out and handed them to me saying "Ta Mama".
Old thinking "It is unhealthy for a child under two to watch television". At a friends place Twyla found the television remote control and learned which button turned the TV on. She turned it on and off over and over again. She learned how to change the channels, and change the volume, and turn on the blue screen for watching DVD's. She loved looking at the blue screen and turning it from black to blue. If I had said no because of my fear and judgement I would never have witnessed such beautiful moments of exploration and discovery.
Old thinking "Children need to go to sleep before they get too over tired and you miss the window". Last night Twyla was really excited. She was practicing walking on the the bed and experimenting with throwing herself backwards. It started getting 'late'. She started playing peekaboo and giggling. Then she got off the bed and went to her book shelf and pulled lots of books off the shelf. She chose one to read. She wanted me to read it over and over again. I read it about 10 times. It got a bit later. I started getting tired and went to lie down. She came and joined me and fell asleep almost immediately on my breast.
There is a huge gap between general fears and the reality of Twyla and the precious moments of her life.
I am just at the very beginning of learning how to bring the principles of Unschooling into the heart of our lives. I am enjoying the process.
Does anyone know of any groups or Unschoolers in Sydney, Australia?
Have a wonderful day
Lilly
Vidyut Kale
Thank you for sharing this is beautiful.
I enjoy being in a place of standing on the edge of discovery. Its like
standing with a beautiful waterfall at my feet. I'm already in the water,
holding on, trying to understand where this all goes. I have a fair idea,
but I am yet to be there. A point comes, when I let go, or I've unknowingly
loosened my grip on the rocks and the current takes me on the ride I was
standing on the edge of. I'm in. Its thrilling.
Because these edges of discovery bring me so much joy, I see another
standing there, describing the view of the journey tempting them, and I
smile. I smile because I know its going to be an adventure. I smile because
I'm going to get fabulous postcards. I smile because who knows, I'm going to
read those postcards and go and stand on that edge myself.
How it ends? I don't know till I'm done. Sometimes I even don't know then.
but its great fun to have this new environment rushing around me, battering,
changing me, cushioning me. I often find that I can only reach those edges
when I have the capacity for undertaking the journey in me.
When I stand there and never let go, the water flowing on and on and on
makes me jealous. Why is it that I can't go that easily? Its easy for the
water to get dashed on the rocks. The more jealous I feel, the more I call
myself bored.
Vidyut
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I enjoy being in a place of standing on the edge of discovery. Its like
standing with a beautiful waterfall at my feet. I'm already in the water,
holding on, trying to understand where this all goes. I have a fair idea,
but I am yet to be there. A point comes, when I let go, or I've unknowingly
loosened my grip on the rocks and the current takes me on the ride I was
standing on the edge of. I'm in. Its thrilling.
Because these edges of discovery bring me so much joy, I see another
standing there, describing the view of the journey tempting them, and I
smile. I smile because I know its going to be an adventure. I smile because
I'm going to get fabulous postcards. I smile because who knows, I'm going to
read those postcards and go and stand on that edge myself.
How it ends? I don't know till I'm done. Sometimes I even don't know then.
but its great fun to have this new environment rushing around me, battering,
changing me, cushioning me. I often find that I can only reach those edges
when I have the capacity for undertaking the journey in me.
When I stand there and never let go, the water flowing on and on and on
makes me jealous. Why is it that I can't go that easily? Its easy for the
water to get dashed on the rocks. The more jealous I feel, the more I call
myself bored.
Vidyut
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=Old thinking "Children need to go to sleep before they get too over
tired and you miss the window". Last night Twyla was really excited.
She was practicing walking on the the bed and experimenting with
throwing herself backwards. It started getting 'late'. She started
playing peekaboo and giggling. Then she got off the bed and went to
her book shelf and pulled lots of books off the shelf. She chose one
to read. She wanted me to read it over and over again. I read it about
10 times. It got a bit later. I started getting tired and went to lie
down. She came and joined me and fell asleep almost immediately on my
breast. -=-
For me, when Kirby was a baby, I believed the La Leche League Leaders
and the books I was reading about nursing, and about trusting babies
to know when they were full, or when they were hungry.
The sleeping stuff, I discovered on my own. Keith and I were out a
couple of times a week, and had people coming to our house to sing one
night a week, and it was easy to take Kirby with us and let him fall
asleep on us, or in the car, or wherever. It was very peaceful. And
accepting that he might to to sleep early and wake up in the middle of
the night wasn't so bad. And sometimes he stayed awake until 10:00
and slept a long time.
Sometimes I would get kids to sleep by playing tapes they knew well,
and that were common bedtime tapes, but I would often stay with them,
too, and let them fall asleep next to me even when they were through
nursing.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
tired and you miss the window". Last night Twyla was really excited.
She was practicing walking on the the bed and experimenting with
throwing herself backwards. It started getting 'late'. She started
playing peekaboo and giggling. Then she got off the bed and went to
her book shelf and pulled lots of books off the shelf. She chose one
to read. She wanted me to read it over and over again. I read it about
10 times. It got a bit later. I started getting tired and went to lie
down. She came and joined me and fell asleep almost immediately on my
breast. -=-
For me, when Kirby was a baby, I believed the La Leche League Leaders
and the books I was reading about nursing, and about trusting babies
to know when they were full, or when they were hungry.
The sleeping stuff, I discovered on my own. Keith and I were out a
couple of times a week, and had people coming to our house to sing one
night a week, and it was easy to take Kirby with us and let him fall
asleep on us, or in the car, or wherever. It was very peaceful. And
accepting that he might to to sleep early and wake up in the middle of
the night wasn't so bad. And sometimes he stayed awake until 10:00
and slept a long time.
Sometimes I would get kids to sleep by playing tapes they knew well,
and that were common bedtime tapes, but I would often stay with them,
too, and let them fall asleep next to me even when they were through
nursing.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-I smile because I know its going to be an adventure. I smile because
I'm going to get fabulous postcards. -=-
Sometimes I get notes from people, and it's really wonderful. I got
Christmas cards and that warmed my whole house and heart.
-=-How it ends? I don't know till I'm done. Sometimes I even don't
know then.-=-
I don't know whether it will ever end. I don't know what jobs and
education and partners and children my own children will have. I
don't know if they'll be happy for their whole lives. I don't know
whether they'll help other people unschool or whether they'll get
tired of the subject. I don't know if I'll help for the rest of my
life or become exhausted and change hobbies. I don't know.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I'm going to get fabulous postcards. -=-
Sometimes I get notes from people, and it's really wonderful. I got
Christmas cards and that warmed my whole house and heart.
-=-How it ends? I don't know till I'm done. Sometimes I even don't
know then.-=-
I don't know whether it will ever end. I don't know what jobs and
education and partners and children my own children will have. I
don't know if they'll be happy for their whole lives. I don't know
whether they'll help other people unschool or whether they'll get
tired of the subject. I don't know if I'll help for the rest of my
life or become exhausted and change hobbies. I don't know.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]