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<< I was half way through the second paragraph, above and the voice in my
head was saying "<snip> A youth who rises to Levels 4, 5 and 6 can
become a..." and I finished the sentence with "become a Nazi". And I
think the rest of the paragraph supports that conclusion.
>>

I couldn't read past the first page. Brainwashing it what it is, and parents
OPT for this?

Who's unschooling a teenager? Do we actually avoid a lot of the teenage
rebellion crap because they basically don't have much to rebel against, or is
that just wishful thinking on my part?

~Aimee

Heidi

> Who's unschooling a teenager? Do we actually avoid a lot of the
teenage
> rebellion crap because they basically don't have much to rebel
against, or is
> that just wishful thinking on my part?
>
> ~Aimee


I think it has a lot to do with relationship. I know a family where
the kids had lots of freedom at home (though they were in P.S. and
one dropped out at age 16) and their mom was really involved in their
lives. As close to an unschooling atmosphere as possible, while still
participating in the school system. Though they didn't have lots of
structure, they never rebelled. They're into a very cool hobby called
Daggerhaus ??? where they do medieval fighting, making their armor
and weapons by medieval techniques (blunted weapons). They're a bunch
of pretty cool guys, self-confident, happy young men with jobs, etc.
Heading into adulthood with what looks like a pretty good sense of
themselves.

I also know a family where there's lots of structure, and the mom and
dad are really involved in their lives, and their kids never rebelled
but have gone on to do some pretty cool stuff (like, earned a Mary
Kay car by age 21, for their oldest; position as a youth judge for
their soon to graduate homeschooled 18 year old, etc.) They're a
bunch of pretty cool kids, hard workers, friendly, self-confident and
happy, making lives for themselves (except the 11 year old who is
still being homeschooled) and going the directions that THEY want to
go. I'm watching and waiting with that family, to a certain extent.
Wondering if there's a "mid-life crisis" coming along for those kids,
having a goal oriented, dynamic, energetic mom who guided them to
always try for the highest marks available. But so far, no rebellion
in that family, either.

HeidiC

zenmomma2kids

>>Who's unschooling a teenager? Do we actually avoid a lot of the
teenage rebellion crap because they basically don't have much to
rebel against, or is that just wishful thinking on my part? >>

My son Conor is 14 in a couple of weeks, so we're just at the
beginning of the whole teen thing. What I've noticed is that there
isn't an us vs. them mentality. He talks with me, he respects my
opinion on a lot of things. We have real conversations.

I don't think unschooling makes us immune to teenage experimentation,
but as you said, what does he have to rebel against? I'm on his side.

Life is good.
~Mary

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In a message dated 5/9/03 1:11:29 PM, AimeeL73@... writes:

<< Who's unschooling a teenager? >>

Me. two of them.

<< Do we actually avoid a lot of the teenage
rebellion crap because they basically don't have much to rebel against...? >>

Yes.

Keith shared that article (I forwarded it to him) with another guy at work
who said he wished he'd known about that place for HIS stepson, who is at the
moment in some vaguely similar place in Texas. Not like a prison or boot
camp, but a behavior modification place. He's in voluntarily, and it's not a
lock-up, but if he leaves, he won't have the protection of being in rehab,
and he has legal problems. He's just past school age, I think. Late teens.

This other dad thought that spanking kids more earlier would prevent some of
these teenaged problems.

I asked Keith whether he objected and whether the guy took it well. They
talked about the 19th century and whether things were different or better
then, and whether all families spanked.

I don't know how it all went, but Keith said they talk about that kind of
thing a lot and so it wasn't an emotional conversation.

Sandra