unparenting (sort of)
Stacy Finch
I have been wanting to post, but just haven't found the time lately. I
haven't even been able to keep up with reading all of the posts and have
deleted a lot, but I did get to read the various posts about unparenting.
We have been unschooling our sons since September (7 yo) and February (9yo).
It was their choice to leave school. It took the 9 yo a little longer to
decide. We are basically spending this time deschooling. Although I
occassionally worry about progress, I believe unschooling will work.
Our difficulties come with other issues. The boys don't have a bedtime. They
like to watch "Gargoyles" which comes on from 11:00-12:00am. The problem is,
they can be very noisy and wake us up, and probably the neighbors as well.
(We live in a townhouse.) I feel that they are not respecting our needs and
I have told them so.
Another problem is that they never want to go out. Occassionally I need to
run errands or would like to participate in a local group (Families for
Natural Living). I don't get to because they refuse to go out unless it is
something they want to do. I don't want to bribe or threaten, so we end up
staying home and I miss out on needed adult contact.
Thirdly is the issue of the clutter. Last night my s.o. fell down the steps
and seriously injured his knee because of the toys left on the steps. Do
they care? Hell, no. This morning I tripped over toys trying to get to the
laundry closet. I'm pregnant and my center of balance is changing, so it is
more difficult to manuever the obstacle course. My s.o. and I are neat. The
main level (kitchen, dining, living and office area) is typically clutter
free as is our bedroom. Dishes and laundry are done. (I don't buy into
flylady that if we are clutter free and follow our routines, our children
will too!) I have conceded to the clutter in their rooms. Their bedrooms are
a half level up from our bedroom and the uppermost level in the townhouse,
so I don't have to see it. I won't put their laundry away. I put it in a
basket and they take it to their room. The problem is with the basement
level. It contains a family room and laundry closet. This is their area.
There is a wall of shelves for their toys. There is a tv, game cube, videos,
and computer. The room is always trashed. My sewing maching is also down
there, but I rarely sew, because of the condition of the room. It is a
constant battle to try and get them to clean up. I don't expect it to be
perfect, but I want to be able to get to the laundry closet and to the
sewing maching. I hadn't thought about an allowance system based on chores,
but that just doesn't seem right.
If anyone has found a solution to any of these issues, I would love to hear
them. Sorry this is so long.
In rereading before sending, I realize that a lot of this has to do with
respect, or lack of. I don't understand. I hadn't heard the term Taking
Children Seriously until recently, but that has always been my philosophy.
This is not a dictator, we always consider our children's desires, and often
change accordingly. But they have little respect for us. What am I doing
wrong?
Stacy
_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
haven't even been able to keep up with reading all of the posts and have
deleted a lot, but I did get to read the various posts about unparenting.
We have been unschooling our sons since September (7 yo) and February (9yo).
It was their choice to leave school. It took the 9 yo a little longer to
decide. We are basically spending this time deschooling. Although I
occassionally worry about progress, I believe unschooling will work.
Our difficulties come with other issues. The boys don't have a bedtime. They
like to watch "Gargoyles" which comes on from 11:00-12:00am. The problem is,
they can be very noisy and wake us up, and probably the neighbors as well.
(We live in a townhouse.) I feel that they are not respecting our needs and
I have told them so.
Another problem is that they never want to go out. Occassionally I need to
run errands or would like to participate in a local group (Families for
Natural Living). I don't get to because they refuse to go out unless it is
something they want to do. I don't want to bribe or threaten, so we end up
staying home and I miss out on needed adult contact.
Thirdly is the issue of the clutter. Last night my s.o. fell down the steps
and seriously injured his knee because of the toys left on the steps. Do
they care? Hell, no. This morning I tripped over toys trying to get to the
laundry closet. I'm pregnant and my center of balance is changing, so it is
more difficult to manuever the obstacle course. My s.o. and I are neat. The
main level (kitchen, dining, living and office area) is typically clutter
free as is our bedroom. Dishes and laundry are done. (I don't buy into
flylady that if we are clutter free and follow our routines, our children
will too!) I have conceded to the clutter in their rooms. Their bedrooms are
a half level up from our bedroom and the uppermost level in the townhouse,
so I don't have to see it. I won't put their laundry away. I put it in a
basket and they take it to their room. The problem is with the basement
level. It contains a family room and laundry closet. This is their area.
There is a wall of shelves for their toys. There is a tv, game cube, videos,
and computer. The room is always trashed. My sewing maching is also down
there, but I rarely sew, because of the condition of the room. It is a
constant battle to try and get them to clean up. I don't expect it to be
perfect, but I want to be able to get to the laundry closet and to the
sewing maching. I hadn't thought about an allowance system based on chores,
but that just doesn't seem right.
If anyone has found a solution to any of these issues, I would love to hear
them. Sorry this is so long.
In rereading before sending, I realize that a lot of this has to do with
respect, or lack of. I don't understand. I hadn't heard the term Taking
Children Seriously until recently, but that has always been my philosophy.
This is not a dictator, we always consider our children's desires, and often
change accordingly. But they have little respect for us. What am I doing
wrong?
Stacy
_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
[email protected]
This is so definitely about parenting!!!
There is no way to put a positive spin on "unparenting."
<< Our difficulties come with other issues. The boys don't have a bedtime.
They
like to watch "Gargoyles" which comes on from 11:00-12:00am. The problem is,
they can be very noisy and wake us up, and probably the neighbors as well.
(We live in a townhouse.) I feel that they are not respecting our needs and
I have told them so.
you do is if they are REALLY quiet. Especially with adjoining walls to other
families. It's probably more than a need, there might be a legal requirement
to keep quiet after a certain time. Tell them they CAN'T be really noisy,
even if they were adults.
If the neighbors complain, you could be dealing with social services. Tell
them that.
<<
Another problem is that they never want to go out. Occassionally I need to
run errands or would like to participate in a local group (Families for
Natural Living). I don't get to because they refuse to go out unless it is
something they want to do. I don't want to bribe or threaten, so we end up
staying home and I miss out on needed adult contact.>>
The TLC people would disagree with me, but when a family's working as a team,
sometimes one member of the team needs to be somewhere at a certain time and
the rest need to go too. But the nicer you are to them about doing things
you don't want to do, and the clearer you make to them that you really want
to do something, the more cooperative they should (theoretically) be. I
don't know how much prior resentment there is to overcome. What's wrong with
making the trip attractive to everyone? If my husbandted to stop for food or
ice cream, should he say "NO, that would be a bribe"? Is it a reward for
doing something unpleasant? If so, so what?
I've bribed kids from time to time and I don't feel a bit guilty. I have
vivid memories of my mom telling me what and how to do and NOW because I SAID
so. That's wrong. But no one member of the family should hold the rest
hostage. And the one with the power and money has the ability to distribute
power and money for the good of the group.
-=-Thirdly is the issue of the clutter. Last night my s.o. fell down the
steps
and seriously injured his knee because of the toys left on the steps. Do
they care? Hell, no.-=-
YOU should care. Did they leave toys on the stairs after you went to sleep?
They will care about what they care about, and if they're too young to
understand that toys can't safely be left on the steps, then they're too
young to play on the steps. If it were me, I would them that if they can't
take the toys away with them, you need a no-toys-on-steps EVER rule.
We haven't had a problem with stuff on stairs except for me leaving
to-be-filed books leaned up against the wall on steps on the way to the
library (and I know of no incidents of them falling over or of people
stepping on them) or me putting other people's "take it downstairs" stuff on
the top of the banister. Marty left skates too near the bottom step last
week. I put them on his bed.
If there are safety issues and legal issues, talk to the kids about that. If
they're not mature enough to begin to concern themselves with safety or
legality, limit their ability to be a threat.
Sandra
There is no way to put a positive spin on "unparenting."
<< Our difficulties come with other issues. The boys don't have a bedtime.
They
like to watch "Gargoyles" which comes on from 11:00-12:00am. The problem is,
they can be very noisy and wake us up, and probably the neighbors as well.
(We live in a townhouse.) I feel that they are not respecting our needs and
I have told them so.
>>I see no problem with telling them the only way they can stay up later than
you do is if they are REALLY quiet. Especially with adjoining walls to other
families. It's probably more than a need, there might be a legal requirement
to keep quiet after a certain time. Tell them they CAN'T be really noisy,
even if they were adults.
If the neighbors complain, you could be dealing with social services. Tell
them that.
<<
Another problem is that they never want to go out. Occassionally I need to
run errands or would like to participate in a local group (Families for
Natural Living). I don't get to because they refuse to go out unless it is
something they want to do. I don't want to bribe or threaten, so we end up
staying home and I miss out on needed adult contact.>>
The TLC people would disagree with me, but when a family's working as a team,
sometimes one member of the team needs to be somewhere at a certain time and
the rest need to go too. But the nicer you are to them about doing things
you don't want to do, and the clearer you make to them that you really want
to do something, the more cooperative they should (theoretically) be. I
don't know how much prior resentment there is to overcome. What's wrong with
making the trip attractive to everyone? If my husbandted to stop for food or
ice cream, should he say "NO, that would be a bribe"? Is it a reward for
doing something unpleasant? If so, so what?
I've bribed kids from time to time and I don't feel a bit guilty. I have
vivid memories of my mom telling me what and how to do and NOW because I SAID
so. That's wrong. But no one member of the family should hold the rest
hostage. And the one with the power and money has the ability to distribute
power and money for the good of the group.
-=-Thirdly is the issue of the clutter. Last night my s.o. fell down the
steps
and seriously injured his knee because of the toys left on the steps. Do
they care? Hell, no.-=-
YOU should care. Did they leave toys on the stairs after you went to sleep?
They will care about what they care about, and if they're too young to
understand that toys can't safely be left on the steps, then they're too
young to play on the steps. If it were me, I would them that if they can't
take the toys away with them, you need a no-toys-on-steps EVER rule.
We haven't had a problem with stuff on stairs except for me leaving
to-be-filed books leaned up against the wall on steps on the way to the
library (and I know of no incidents of them falling over or of people
stepping on them) or me putting other people's "take it downstairs" stuff on
the top of the banister. Marty left skates too near the bottom step last
week. I put them on his bed.
If there are safety issues and legal issues, talk to the kids about that. If
they're not mature enough to begin to concern themselves with safety or
legality, limit their ability to be a threat.
Sandra
Karin
Stacy Finch wrote:
The problem is with the basement level. It contains a family room and laundry closet. This is their area. There is a wall of shelves for their toys. There is a tv, game cube, videos,
and computer. The room is always trashed. My sewing maching is also down there, but I rarely sew, because of the condition of the room. It is a constant battle to try and get them to clean up. I don't expect it to be perfect, but I want to be able to get to the laundry closet and to the sewing maching. I hadn't thought about an allowance system based on chores, but that just doesn't seem right.
If anyone has found a solution to any of these issues, I would love to hear
them. Sorry this is so long.
-----------------------
Hi Stacy,
You say the family room in the basement is their area. That is where all their stuff is and the room is always trashed. You also said that you allow them to keep their rooms as they like, but you don't mind it as much because you don't have to see it. So, it seems to me like they feel the family room is just another extension of their room (with toys and games in it) and since they can keep their rooms messy, the feel comfortable enough to keep their "area" messy, too. I understand that you must also use the family room for laundry and sewing, so the mess really bothers you.
Maybe you could explain how much this bothers you (I'm sure you've already done that :-) and that you'd like them to help you come up with a solution. Maybe they have some ideas of their own in this situation? If it were me, I would suggest a day, maybe once a week, where you and your kids go down to the room and clean it up together. I always find that when I'm doing it with them, everybody is much happier and willing to help. If they are participating in some of the cleaning, they may be more willing to keep it cleaner in the future. But, at least it would be cleaned once a week so it might stay relatively clean.
Good luck with this!
Karin
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The problem is with the basement level. It contains a family room and laundry closet. This is their area. There is a wall of shelves for their toys. There is a tv, game cube, videos,
and computer. The room is always trashed. My sewing maching is also down there, but I rarely sew, because of the condition of the room. It is a constant battle to try and get them to clean up. I don't expect it to be perfect, but I want to be able to get to the laundry closet and to the sewing maching. I hadn't thought about an allowance system based on chores, but that just doesn't seem right.
If anyone has found a solution to any of these issues, I would love to hear
them. Sorry this is so long.
-----------------------
Hi Stacy,
You say the family room in the basement is their area. That is where all their stuff is and the room is always trashed. You also said that you allow them to keep their rooms as they like, but you don't mind it as much because you don't have to see it. So, it seems to me like they feel the family room is just another extension of their room (with toys and games in it) and since they can keep their rooms messy, the feel comfortable enough to keep their "area" messy, too. I understand that you must also use the family room for laundry and sewing, so the mess really bothers you.
Maybe you could explain how much this bothers you (I'm sure you've already done that :-) and that you'd like them to help you come up with a solution. Maybe they have some ideas of their own in this situation? If it were me, I would suggest a day, maybe once a week, where you and your kids go down to the room and clean it up together. I always find that when I'm doing it with them, everybody is much happier and willing to help. If they are participating in some of the cleaning, they may be more willing to keep it cleaner in the future. But, at least it would be cleaned once a week so it might stay relatively clean.
Good luck with this!
Karin
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Bonni Sollars
Stacy, I keep recommending a book called How to Talk So Kids Will Listen
and How to Listen So Kids Will Talk because it has helped me enormously.
It helped me to be able to communicate with my kids without blame or
recriminations. It was at the library. I have notes from the book and I
look them over frequently to remind myself. If the kids are keeping you
awake late at night and you are pregnant, that's gotta be bad for you.
Maybe you could ask the kids to help you find a solution, like to video
tape the show and watch it the next day? I own these silly-putty-like
earplugs that help me get to sleep at night when my husband and kids stay
up late. About not wanting to go out, perhaps ask them to help you find
a solution, like they get to go somewhere they want after you go to your
stuff. About the laundry/sewing/stairs area, something we have done when
there is an ongoing problem of the kids not respecting my boundaries is
that I discuss possible solutions with each child individually, then we
decide all together which solutions to keep and what not to keep, then we
write it down in a family agreement book and everyone signs it. It is
amazing. The first time ever that my children have stopped eating on my
bed while watching tv. They follow it more strictly than I do. They are
proud of their agreements.
Remember, you are not in a war. Your children and you are not
adversaries. You are not a victim, and it is not necessary to get
control of your children. You will find wonderful methods in that book
for just the kinds of things you described.
I just have to say, and I hope I'm not sounding too offensive in this,
but, you might want to start putting their clothes away, picking up the
stairs, and clearing the area in the sewing/laundry part that gets in
your way. Change is progressive, and they may not be ready to change all
the areas you've mentioned at once. So until that time comes, you may
want to do what is necessary to help you live safely. After all, seven
and nine is really not that old. They may be overwhelmed by the mess.
If it overwhelms you, I'm sure it overwhelms them. Try sitting in the
middle of the messy room and saying, "Hand me this, hand me that, now,
where should this go?" That's what I do with mine when they are feeling
overwhelmed with a mess. Even my fourteen year old gets overwhelmed when
his room is messy now and then. Also, fresh air and exercise is great
for making kids tired at night. You might want to go for a walk every
afternoon or something like that to use up some of their energy.
All right, I'm done finally. I know you are not me and you need to
figure out and weigh out your own ideas. Maybe these suggestions will
spark your imagination to come up with some of your own creative
solutions.
Bonni
and How to Listen So Kids Will Talk because it has helped me enormously.
It helped me to be able to communicate with my kids without blame or
recriminations. It was at the library. I have notes from the book and I
look them over frequently to remind myself. If the kids are keeping you
awake late at night and you are pregnant, that's gotta be bad for you.
Maybe you could ask the kids to help you find a solution, like to video
tape the show and watch it the next day? I own these silly-putty-like
earplugs that help me get to sleep at night when my husband and kids stay
up late. About not wanting to go out, perhaps ask them to help you find
a solution, like they get to go somewhere they want after you go to your
stuff. About the laundry/sewing/stairs area, something we have done when
there is an ongoing problem of the kids not respecting my boundaries is
that I discuss possible solutions with each child individually, then we
decide all together which solutions to keep and what not to keep, then we
write it down in a family agreement book and everyone signs it. It is
amazing. The first time ever that my children have stopped eating on my
bed while watching tv. They follow it more strictly than I do. They are
proud of their agreements.
Remember, you are not in a war. Your children and you are not
adversaries. You are not a victim, and it is not necessary to get
control of your children. You will find wonderful methods in that book
for just the kinds of things you described.
I just have to say, and I hope I'm not sounding too offensive in this,
but, you might want to start putting their clothes away, picking up the
stairs, and clearing the area in the sewing/laundry part that gets in
your way. Change is progressive, and they may not be ready to change all
the areas you've mentioned at once. So until that time comes, you may
want to do what is necessary to help you live safely. After all, seven
and nine is really not that old. They may be overwhelmed by the mess.
If it overwhelms you, I'm sure it overwhelms them. Try sitting in the
middle of the messy room and saying, "Hand me this, hand me that, now,
where should this go?" That's what I do with mine when they are feeling
overwhelmed with a mess. Even my fourteen year old gets overwhelmed when
his room is messy now and then. Also, fresh air and exercise is great
for making kids tired at night. You might want to go for a walk every
afternoon or something like that to use up some of their energy.
All right, I'm done finally. I know you are not me and you need to
figure out and weigh out your own ideas. Maybe these suggestions will
spark your imagination to come up with some of your own creative
solutions.
Bonni
Kara Bauer
The TLC people would disagree with me,>>
:) They might and so might some TCSers <wink wink>, although I personally am not TCS because to me there are times when "no" is the only answer
KaraGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
:) They might and so might some TCSers <wink wink>, although I personally am not TCS because to me there are times when "no" is the only answer
KaraGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Kolleen
>Stacy wrote:Hi Stacy, You seemed to have posted at a very dynamic time on this list!
>I did get to read the various posts about unparenting.
And since I'm one of the parents that have no negative issues with the
term unparenting.. I'm going to also respond to your concerns from my
viewpoint. I've also seen some great info come your way from other ppl
here.
>I believe unschooling will work.Do you *know* it will work at the core of your being? If you do, the
'unparenting' part is a bit easier to deal with. It becomes a sense of
security.
>Our difficulties come with other issues. The boys don't have a bedtime. TheyYou (as in plural, family) are a community. In any community there are
>like to watch "Gargoyles" which comes on from 11:00-12:00am. The problem is,
>they can be very noisy and wake us up, and probably the neighbors as well.
>(We live in a townhouse.) I feel that they are not respecting our needs and
>I have told them so.
guidelines. These guidelines/rules are there SOLELY for the purpose that
others in that community can also enjoy their freedoms.
If not, it then has to become a dictatorship, in order to keep boundaries
from getting overstepped.
This is a boundary issue. And you may need to look into your past to see
why your community is able to overstep so easily into your boundarys.
Please take this as it comes.. or not. It is not meant to assume or
analyze the issues. I can only write from my POV.
>Another problem is that they never want to go out. Occassionally I need toSomewhere between bribing and threatening, there just 'is'. Again, a
>run errands or would like to participate in a local group (Families for
>Natural Living). I don't get to because they refuse to go out unless it is
>something they want to do. I don't want to bribe or threaten, so we end up
>staying home and I miss out on needed adult contact.
boundary issue.
If they are too young to legally stay alone and you give them their
opportunities to pursue their activities, they need to show you that same
respect.
I suppose I say I'm an unparent in this regard. We are a democratic
community and everyone does what they do best to keep it from turning
into a dictatorship. Some of us have more experience, but we all process
information the same way.
> his knee because of the toys left on the steps. Do[snip]
>they care? Hell, no. This morning I tripped over toys trying to get to the
>laundry closet. I'm pregnant and my center of balance is changing, so it is
>more difficult to manuever the obstacle course.
Unacceptable in a community. There is no reason that one person's
pleasure should put the safety of the others at risk.
Thats how you present it, thats how you have to believe it in your self.
>Their bedrooms are[snip]
>a half level up from our bedroom and the uppermost level in the townhouse,
>so I don't have to see it. I won't put their laundry away. I put it in a
>basket and they take it to their room. The problem is with the basement
>level. It contains a family room and laundry closet. This is their area.
Can you take a step back and think hard about rearranging the way things
are laid out so you don't see their mess? Maybe even using dividers in
the basement if necessary?
My son's room stayed unwalkable for almost a year. Finally he asked for
help cleaning it up and then was so happy that he had access to toys he
totally forgot about. After that, he asked that if he set a rule, if I
would help him follow it by reminding him. He said he is young and
sometimes gets excited and forgets. His rule is to clean up one thing
before going onto the next. This epiphany didn't happen overnight.
>This is not a dictator, we always consider our children's desires, and oftenStacy, tis a fine line one walks when balancing everyone's interests and
>change accordingly. But they have little respect for us. What am I doing
>wrong?
freedoms. Lest us not forget that there are rules to democracy, and these
rules guarantee the freedom of the entire community, not just a selected
few.
Be prepared to set family guidelines/rules or Laws. Whatever term you
feel happy with. And also be prepared to follow them yourself, and for
your husband.
There's a book that is coming to mind.. I can't remember the authors.. a
couple.. "Living Joyfully with Children". They had some good ideas about
community.. you may want to pick it up.
regards,
kolleen
the unschooling unparent.
"People take different roads seeking
fulfillment and happiness. Just
because they're not on your road
doesn't mean they've gotten lost."
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
[email protected]
In a message dated 3/19/02 4:58:32 PM Mountain Standard Time,
KaraBauer4@... writes:
was Twhateverwhatever. (Sorry.)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
KaraBauer4@... writes:
> The TLC people would disagree with me,>>Yeah that was an odd typo while I was talking to Holly at the same time. It
>
> :) They might and so might some TCSers <wink wink>, although I personally
> am not TCS because to me there are times when "no" is the only answer
>
was Twhateverwhatever. (Sorry.)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
rumpleteasermom
Who's still running Gargoyles??? Where do you live, my dd is gonna
wanna move there!
Bridget
wanna move there!
Bridget
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., "Stacy Finch" <finchstacy@h...> wrote:
>
> Our difficulties come with other issues. The boys don't have a
bedtime. They
> like to watch "Gargoyles" which comes on from 11:00-12:00am. The
problem is,
> they can be very noisy and wake us up, and probably the neighbors as
well.
> (We live in a townhouse.) I feel that they are not respecting our
needs and
> I have told them so.
>
zenmomma *
*********************************************************************
control of your children.>>
*********************************************************************
This is so good, that it deserves to be in its own post, lit up in neon,
with firecrackers going off around it. For anyone still in a real
butting-heads place with their kids, I'd even suggest printing it out and
hanging it somewhere public.
Life is good.
~Mary
_________________________________________________________________
Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
http://www.hotmail.com
>>Remember, you are not in a war. Your children and you are notadversaries. You are not a victim, and it is not necessary to get
control of your children.>>
*********************************************************************
This is so good, that it deserves to be in its own post, lit up in neon,
with firecrackers going off around it. For anyone still in a real
butting-heads place with their kids, I'd even suggest printing it out and
hanging it somewhere public.
Life is good.
~Mary
_________________________________________________________________
Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
http://www.hotmail.com
Kara Bauer
Disney channel plays Gargoyles :)
KaraGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
KaraGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
rumpleteasermom
Kolleen,
Very well written post. I was trying to figure out a way to say what
I wanted to Stacy and here, you've gone and done it for me!
Bridget
Very well written post. I was trying to figure out a way to say what
I wanted to Stacy and here, you've gone and done it for me!
Bridget
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., Kolleen <Kolleen@m...> wrote:
>
> Stacy, tis a fine line one walks when balancing everyone's interests
and
> freedoms. Lest us not forget that there are rules to democracy, and
these
> rules guarantee the freedom of the entire community, not just a
selected
> few.
>
> Be prepared to set family guidelines/rules or Laws. Whatever term
you
> feel happy with. And also be prepared to follow them yourself, and
for
> your husband.
>
> There's a book that is coming to mind.. I can't remember the
authors.. a
> couple.. "Living Joyfully with Children". They had some good ideas
about
> community.. you may want to pick it up.
>
> regards,
> kolleen
zenmomma *
>>Who's still running Gargoyles??? Where do you live, my dd is gonnawanna move there!>>
I just asked Casey and she said we get Gargoyles. We have a DISH satellite
system. I'll ask Conor what channel it's on when he wakes up. (If you'd
like.)
Life is good.
~Mary
_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
rumpleteasermom
Don't anyone tell Rachel that until she gets a job! I'm not paying
for cable.
Bridget
for cable.
Bridget
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., "Kara Bauer" <KaraBauer4@m...> wrote:
> Disney channel plays Gargoyles :)
> KaraGet more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :
http://explorer.msn.com
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Stacy Finch
Bridget:
I just asked my son. He says "Gargoyles" is on Toon Disney. We live in
Northern VA and have Directv satellite service.
Stacy
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
I just asked my son. He says "Gargoyles" is on Toon Disney. We live in
Northern VA and have Directv satellite service.
Stacy
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
Lilly
>He is a night owl , of course so am I. Did you stay
> --- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., "Stacy Finch"
> <finchstacy@h...> wrote:
>
> >
> > Our difficulties come with other issues. The boys
> don't have a
> bedtime. They
> > like to watch "Gargoyles" which comes on from
> 11:00-12:00am. The
> problem is,
> > they can be very noisy and wake us up, and
> probably the neighbors as
> well.
> > (We live in a townhouse.) I feel that they are not
> respecting our
> needs and
> > I have told them so.
> >
> How old are your boys? My oldest 7 stays up late .
up when you where their age? I know my son gets it
from me. When I was his age I can remember many
sleepless nights. My son is more active at night
also. Personally my self I was more alert in the
afternoon, night then early morning. Of course now I
am adult and I can function all hours of the day.
It might not be a respect issue, it might be that they
just can't sleep
LIlly
>__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards�
http://movies.yahoo.com/