[email protected]

In a message dated 8/25/2004 5:22:24 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

I don't think this is a good example for an unschooling list.
First of all, our children AREN'T told they have to go to school...ever, and
secondly, I would never humiliate my child by making them wear pajamas
somewhere it would bother them.

If my child didn't want to get ready to go somewhere, I would assume that
either they don't want to go or they need more help from me.



ell, at the time, I DID send my kids to public school -- and there was no
intention to humiliate about it -- it was *natural consequences* of his choice.
We cannot protect them from everything, and if he were going to be THAT
insistent about wearing his pjs, so be it ... there DOES come a time when you
have to be firm -- whether it's about not running into the street, or doing an
unpleasant task ... whether they're *ready* or not.
So, let's be a little more respectful and less critical of someone else's
experiences, shall we?


***********************
She wasn't being disrespectful. What she said is that it was a bad example
for an unschooling list, because there wouldn't be a situation like that.

Something brought you here. If you just wanted all your old choices to
continue, you wouldn't be exploring unschooling. But, for a moment, let's look at
YOUR example.

I used to work at a day care center before my son was born (almost 15 years
ago!!!). It was a good, child-centered, non-academic, old-hippy-founded
place. Periodically a parent would drop their kid off in pj's because they
wouldn't get ready. And the idea IS to embarass the kid into getting ready when
they're told to.

Because if it weren't, wouldn't the logical thing to do be to bring the kid
in pj's and just say, "Mischa wasn't ready to get dressed yet, but here are
her clothes if she wants them." Or bring them to change quickly in the car? Or
put her in sweatpants and shirt to bed so changing in the morning wasn't even
important?

Yep, you were a single mom and had to get places. As a result of that, maybe
you had to make choices that were NOT child-centered or even what you
wanted. You REALLY wanted a super-compliant kid who just did what you needed when
you needed it. Nobody's a bad person, and maybe it was what had to happen at
the time. Maybe down the road you'll see other things you could have done
instead. Hey, we all do...probably on a weekly basis!

But now you're at THIS part of the journey. The stuff you needed (or thought
you needed) to do before isn't necessarily what is best for unschooling.

Ren wasn't being disrespectful of your experience. She was letting you know,
gently really, that this example is meaningless to unschoolers. It's a
different journey entirely.

Kathryn

Kathryn Baptista, Conference Coordinator

Come to the Live and Learn Unschooling Conference August 27-29 in Peabody,
MA!
For more information, go to www.LiveandLearnConference.org



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