Shimokawa Family

first: How do you deschool yourself? I don't have access to any books
in English (though I did ask for the Teenage Liberation Handbook for
Christmas - my dad freaked at the title <VBG>), so I need live advice.
I trust my kids to take care of their own education. I don't have a
problem with them. Just with myself. I've found that unless my brain
gets a workout, I have a hard time getting to sleep - no matter how
exhausted my body is. But whenever I try to do anything, nobody else is
there to care what I've done, or tell me I've done a good job (punished
by rewards?), so what's the point? I mean, I know deep inside that I'm
really doing this for myself, but there's also a probably bigger part of
me that wants someone to congratulate me for my effort. Does anyone
else go through this? How do you overcome it?

second: Mook is such a perfectionist. DH is studying Russian at some
military intelligence school, and always has lots of homework and
studying to do. So, Mook wants homework, too. I've printed out lots of
pictures for him to color (thank you, Stephanie, for all the URL's), but
if he doesn't color everything exactly right (like the professionals who
illustrate his books), he cries. The kid is only two - almost three.
I've told him before that he doesn't have any homework except the
homework he gives himself, and he doesn't even have to do that if he
doesn't want to. I've suggested free drawing - just giving him a blank
piece of paper, but then he gets upset that it doesn't look perfect. He
throws a tantrum on paper (scribbling until the paper rips and he gets
crayon, pencil, pen, or marker, or whatever he's using all over the
table). I've tried distractions ("let's go read together instead"), but
then he tells me that if he doesn't do his homework, his teacher will be
angry. I don't know where he got that from. He has NEVER been to
school in his life. How do I deal with this?

Any suggestions will be helpful.

Love, Melanie in Japan
AOL Instant Messenger name: Vouget

A. Yates

Hey! I just had an idea. What about workbook pages. Really easy ones. I
have some great ones I could probably figure out how to scan in and send to
you? I bought them from Timberdoodle, and they were very inexpensive. But,
maybe I could send them to you?
ANn

Shimokawa Family wrote:

> From: Shimokawa Family <sfamily@...>
>
> first: How do you deschool yourself? I don't have access to any books
> in English (though I did ask for the Teenage Liberation Handbook for
> Christmas - my dad freaked at the title <VBG>), so I need live advice.
> I trust my kids to take care of their own education. I don't have a
> problem with them. Just with myself. I've found that unless my brain
> gets a workout, I have a hard time getting to sleep - no matter how
> exhausted my body is. But whenever I try to do anything, nobody else is
> there to care what I've done, or tell me I've done a good job (punished
> by rewards?), so what's the point? I mean, I know deep inside that I'm
> really doing this for myself, but there's also a probably bigger part of
> me that wants someone to congratulate me for my effort. Does anyone
> else go through this? How do you overcome it?
>
> second: Mook is such a perfectionist. DH is studying Russian at some
> military intelligence school, and always has lots of homework and
> studying to do. So, Mook wants homework, too. I've printed out lots of
> pictures for him to color (thank you, Stephanie, for all the URL's), but
> if he doesn't color everything exactly right (like the professionals who
> illustrate his books), he cries. The kid is only two - almost three.
> I've told him before that he doesn't have any homework except the
> homework he gives himself, and he doesn't even have to do that if he
> doesn't want to. I've suggested free drawing - just giving him a blank
> piece of paper, but then he gets upset that it doesn't look perfect. He
> throws a tantrum on paper (scribbling until the paper rips and he gets
> crayon, pencil, pen, or marker, or whatever he's using all over the
> table). I've tried distractions ("let's go read together instead"), but
> then he tells me that if he doesn't do his homework, his teacher will be
> angry. I don't know where he got that from. He has NEVER been to
> school in his life. How do I deal with this?
>
> Any suggestions will be helpful.
>
> Love, Melanie in Japan
> AOL Instant Messenger name: Vouget
>
> > Check it out!
> http://www.unschooling.com