[email protected]

she wouldn't want to trade an hour of speaking at our
conference for these tips from us that she will go on to make money off of?

Crystal

____

This is what she said.. So, I think, yeah, that's the idea... :-)

Teresa

> She'd love stories and ideas
> from
> >kids and teens, as well. If we can come up with at least 100 useable tips
> and
> >stories within the next month, she'll come to the conference.
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Crystal

> > She'd love stories and ideas
> > from
> > >kids and teens, as well. If we can come up with at least 100 useable
tips
> > and
> > >stories within the next month, she'll come to the conference.
> >


Oh, yea, duh. I didn't have my thinking cap on--LOL.

My idea: One thing that helped my daughter find her gift of writing was
Unlimited Use of the Computer. Many parents are afraid of their children
meeting preditors online, so they limit it's use. I don't mean limiting
time (although that happens, too), I mean limiting what their children are
allowed to use the computer for. My computer is in the center of the house
where there is a lot of activity so I didn't worry so much about what
websites my daughter was going to. Anyone walking by could see what she was
looking at. She found a website called Fanfiction.net where people write
fictional stories using real cartoon characters and they critique each
other's stories. It has been the greatest resource for teaching my daughter
spelling and grammar and it is what introduced her to poetry, her new love.
My daughter also talks to a lot of the authors on Yahoo Instant Messenger.
I did worry about who she was talking to so I just sat with her once in a
while. I saw that no one was writing anything I didn't approve of. These
kids range in age from about 12 to maybe 20. My daughter has her friends
online now and she talks to two of them on the phone often.

Crystal

[email protected]

KathrynJB@... writes:
> Barbara is VERY interested in writing a book for parents who want to
> support
> their children and finding and realizing their gifts, sort of a Wishcraft
> for
> Kids. In her words: "This book will be different from my others, but in a
> form
> I really love: it
> will be a book full of tips, good ideas, and personal anecdotes of any
> successful techniques they used to help their children find and follow their
> true gifts."


That is so very COOL! Wow.....Not only does it never hurt to ask, more like
great things happen when you open your mind to the possibilities!

Of course, lol, I can't think of a darn thing right now, I'll havta think
about it!

~Aimee


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Betsy

** She found a website called Fanfiction.net where people write
fictional stories using real cartoon characters and they critique each
other's stories.**

Until a few months ago, many sections of Fanfiction.net had X-rated (or
NC-17-rated) stories. The policy was changed and the most explicit
stuff was removed, but many areas still do include R-rated stories. I
wouldn't *expect* to find R-rated stories about cartoon characters, but
I don't know for sure. I do know that there are stories about Harry
Potter where his hatred for Draco Malfoy is just a cover for their
mutual unresolved sexual attraction, and I *know* that not everybody is
expecting that when they let their kids read at this website. FYI.

Betsy

Pamela Sorooshiantafti

>>** She found a website called Fanfiction.net where people write
fictional stories using real cartoon characters and they critique each
other's stories.**
<<

You'll find a lot of my kids' writing there <G>.

That IS their main form of writing--that and reviewing books on Amazon, which Roxana does a lot of, apparently.

Rosie was just telling me today that she had a story up on fanfiction.net and people wrote her to say it was good but seemed not "enough" for a story. After a few of these comments, she thought about it more and decided it was really more of an "introduction," so she began to add to it, to make it meatier.

I haven't read it and don't know the title or what its about or anything else. I think their ownership of all this writing they do is so awesome that I'm very very careful about stepping in - I read when they offer it to me - sometimes they send me links. But if I purposely got into it - even just to observe - it would feel like parents hovering over younger children who are just trying to play pretend - making mudpies and playing house or whatever. As much fun as it is for some of us adults to watch kids play - it doesn't seem entirely "right" to me - it feels like we're using them for our entertainment (which is okay in small doses - we LOVE them and enjoy them, etc., but I also think we have to leave them alone and show we trust them to grow outside our constant watchfulness. I mean - its a fine line I guess - and we have to use our own sense of how things are going in their lives and not be so out of touch that we don't even KNOW what their lives are like, of course. But I'm in no danger of that and yet, I think the fact that the writing they do is so totally THEIRS - that it has absolutely NOTHING to do with writing to satisfy an adult - is an extra extra special and wonderful gift I can give them.

So far it has panned out in terms of my kids LOVING to write - and becoming extremely proficient writers. But, truth is, that's not what motivated me to let their writing alone, not to even ask to see it, to be super cautious about even remotely seeming to be intruding. I just did it because it felt right - writing is private - asking to read something is like asking someone to tell you what she is thinking. They know I read - they know they can share what they write with me. I don't need to ask. And, sometimes they do - something they think I will like. Mostly they don't see their writing as the kind of thing I'm usually into - and it doesn't occur to them that I'd be interested just to observe how well they write - they aren't writing as an exercise, they aren't writing with the purpose of learning to write. They don't think of it that way and don't realize that I MIGHT think of it that way. I think this is so cool. One of the things I feel like I did RIGHT in my journey of parenting/unschooling!

As far as the porno thing - I'm beginning to think that kids are going to have to learn to delete and ignore -- they just are stuck with that in their lives.

-pam