re: okay...questions
frozenandcold
<<<<<<<Do unschoolers here have ANY rules at your house? Is the
unschooling
life a life of zero rules? Or is it not forcing the issue on little
things like bed times or clothes or how much they eat?>>>>>>
We don't have ARBITRARY rules, we live by principles. We
don't "force" our children to do anything. We work together as a
team and because we respect our children and they know that we are
on their side they are more than willing (most of the time) to help
out when things need to get done. We try to help them to listen to
the signs their bodies are giving them for when they need sleep,
food, or whatever. We feel that our jobs, as parents, are to bring
as much joy in their lives as possible, spend as much time with them
so that we don't miss out on anything, be there for them when they
are having trouble making a difficult decision (ultimately they make
their own decisions about everything unless I see that they are in
danger), and really help to guide them as they discover their unique
purpose here on this earth.
We also try to involve our children in all aspects of our lives,
including paying the bills, home decorating, and many other things.
We just made an offer on a house that my kids were not a part of the
decision making because they refused to go house hunting with us.
When my son saw the house he was very angry because he didn't like
it. It is a fixer upper and we plan on doing all the work before we
move in but he doesn't see our vision. So I took him with me to
pick out appliances, counter tops, etc. He picked some counter tops
out that I didn't like but we were able to find another one that we
both liked so that is what we are going to get. I think the point
that I am trying to make is that we treat our kids like people not
like the second class citizens that they are treated like by so much
of the outside world.
The thing that I always think of when I am about to handle a
situation is ,"How would I treat my best friend or my husband in a
situation like this?" That often helps me to be a little more
respectful, especially when I am angry and frustrated. I also try
to think of how I felt when I was a child when I didn't think I was
being treated fairly and how I would have wanted my parents to
handle it better.
Heidi Snavley
unschooling
life a life of zero rules? Or is it not forcing the issue on little
things like bed times or clothes or how much they eat?>>>>>>
We don't have ARBITRARY rules, we live by principles. We
don't "force" our children to do anything. We work together as a
team and because we respect our children and they know that we are
on their side they are more than willing (most of the time) to help
out when things need to get done. We try to help them to listen to
the signs their bodies are giving them for when they need sleep,
food, or whatever. We feel that our jobs, as parents, are to bring
as much joy in their lives as possible, spend as much time with them
so that we don't miss out on anything, be there for them when they
are having trouble making a difficult decision (ultimately they make
their own decisions about everything unless I see that they are in
danger), and really help to guide them as they discover their unique
purpose here on this earth.
We also try to involve our children in all aspects of our lives,
including paying the bills, home decorating, and many other things.
We just made an offer on a house that my kids were not a part of the
decision making because they refused to go house hunting with us.
When my son saw the house he was very angry because he didn't like
it. It is a fixer upper and we plan on doing all the work before we
move in but he doesn't see our vision. So I took him with me to
pick out appliances, counter tops, etc. He picked some counter tops
out that I didn't like but we were able to find another one that we
both liked so that is what we are going to get. I think the point
that I am trying to make is that we treat our kids like people not
like the second class citizens that they are treated like by so much
of the outside world.
The thing that I always think of when I am about to handle a
situation is ,"How would I treat my best friend or my husband in a
situation like this?" That often helps me to be a little more
respectful, especially when I am angry and frustrated. I also try
to think of how I felt when I was a child when I didn't think I was
being treated fairly and how I would have wanted my parents to
handle it better.
Heidi Snavley
Momma
<<<<<<<Do unschoolers here have ANY rules at your house? Is the
unschooling
life a life of zero rules? Or is it not forcing the issue on little
things like bed times or clothes or how much they eat?>>>>>>
The philosophy at our home---
Treat all family members (including animals) the way that you would want to
be treated. This covers a multitude of areas such as property, feelings,
privacy, etc. I believe that this is a good basic philosophy for all areas
of life; marriage, parenting, employment, neighbors, friendships, even just
driving down the road. I hope that if my children take anything from our
home it will be this. I feel that helping children grasp the concept of
empathy far outweighs the benefits of rules.
-Dawn
.
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714&grpId=12789513&grpspId=1600081972&msgI
d=15840&stime=1153247146>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
unschooling
life a life of zero rules? Or is it not forcing the issue on little
things like bed times or clothes or how much they eat?>>>>>>
The philosophy at our home---
Treat all family members (including animals) the way that you would want to
be treated. This covers a multitude of areas such as property, feelings,
privacy, etc. I believe that this is a good basic philosophy for all areas
of life; marriage, parenting, employment, neighbors, friendships, even just
driving down the road. I hope that if my children take anything from our
home it will be this. I feel that helping children grasp the concept of
empathy far outweighs the benefits of rules.
-Dawn
.
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714&grpId=12789513&grpspId=1600081972&msgI
d=15840&stime=1153247146>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Momma
<<<<<<<Do unschoolers here have ANY rules at your house? Is the
unschooling
life a life of zero rules? Or is it not forcing the issue on little
things like bed times or clothes or how much they eat?>>>>>>
The philosophy at our home---
Treat all family members (including animals) the way that you would want to
be treated. This covers a multitude of areas such as property, feelings,
privacy, etc. I believe that this is a good basic philosophy for all areas
of life; marriage, parenting, employment, neighbors, friendships, even just
driving down the road. I hope that if my children take anything from our
home it will be this. I feel that helping children grasp the concept of
empathy far outweighs the benefits of rules.
-Dawn
.
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714&grpId=12789513&grpspId=1600081972&msgI
d=15840&stime=1153247146>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
unschooling
life a life of zero rules? Or is it not forcing the issue on little
things like bed times or clothes or how much they eat?>>>>>>
The philosophy at our home---
Treat all family members (including animals) the way that you would want to
be treated. This covers a multitude of areas such as property, feelings,
privacy, etc. I believe that this is a good basic philosophy for all areas
of life; marriage, parenting, employment, neighbors, friendships, even just
driving down the road. I hope that if my children take anything from our
home it will be this. I feel that helping children grasp the concept of
empathy far outweighs the benefits of rules.
-Dawn
.
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714&grpId=12789513&grpspId=1600081972&msgI
d=15840&stime=1153247146>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]