Debra Caruso

Gus I really appreciated your writing.I know that was certainly true of
my oldest son,who was diagnosed ADD at age 11.Once I pulled him out of
public school his symptoms al but disappeared!Thanks for
writing...Debbie in va

> A S (Gus) Griffin wrote:
>
> I have been thoroughly enjoying monitoring this site for a few weeks
> now - you're a fine bunch of people - and I very much like the freedom
> you exercise here (most sites seem to have their self-appointed
> Consistency Police that just make things boring.) I haven't
> contributed much because I'm not homeschooling myself - my three girls
> are grown - but I would like to make a comment on recent postings in
> which various diagnoses of child disorders have been mentioned.
>
> I really do recommend to those parents that you get hold of A S
> Neill's books which are not just about free-schooling, but also about
> child-rearing. When the environment is right, the majority of these
> disorders unravel of their own accord. To label them and address them
> directly is to some degree to reinforce them.
>
> I don't underestimate the help it can be to finally have a label for
> what is going on, but there is a downside to that which should be
> taken into account. In my attitudinal training business, I work with
> kids from time to time - and get great results at undoing these
> conditions the psychs and medicos would have us believe are genetic,
> must be treated with drugs, etc. In my experience, the only box a
> child should ever be put in is one that can be instantly demolished.
>
> By that I mean the diagnosis should immediately lead to a resolution
> of the problem, or the diagnosis is not to be trusted, no matter how
> "logical" it may sound or how "close" it may fit.
>
> Of course, the other type of box that can be instantly demolished is
> of the cardboard variety - I thoroughly recommend them for children
> too.
>
> Gus
>
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>
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In a message dated 05/27/2000 4:32:02 PM !!!First Boot!!!,
enthusiastic@... writes:

<< When the environment is right, the majority of these disorders unravel of
their own accord. To label them and address them directly is to some degree
to reinforce them.

**Something I have suspected for a long time. Naming some trait that is just
part of who a person (child) is seems to limit that person to that one trait
and reinforce it and blow it out of proportion. I also think it takes
something (credibility?) away from the people who seriously need help of the
med or psych variety. **

I don't underestimate the help it can be to finally have a label for what is
going on, but there is a downside to that which should be taken into account.
In my attitudinal training business, I work with kids from time to time -
and get great results at undoing these conditions the psychs and medicos
would have us believe are genetic, must be treated with drugs, etc. In my
experience, the only box a child should ever be put in is one that can be
instantly demolished.

By that I mean the diagnosis should immediately lead to a resolution of the
problem, or the diagnosis is not to be trusted, no matter how "logical" it
may sound or how "close" it may fit.

Of course, the other type of box that can be instantly demolished is of the
cardboard variety - I thoroughly recommend them for children too.

Gus
>>

**Cardboard boxes for everyone!

Nance (constantly trying to figure out and balance and rebalance in my mind
all the aspects of my children without labelling too much -- altho
information is helpful and labels can be telling -- but too quickly
implemented by someone with an ulterior motive lead to something bad -- well,
you get the see-saw thoughts that go on in my mind!)**

A S (Gus) Griffin

Thanks, Debbie - this can be a highly charged subject and I didn't want to offend anyone who has been helped by finding a diagnosis - but I did want to warn of the downside.  Neill's writings really do open many loving doors for these kinds of problems.
 
And do keep seesawing, Nance!  The right metaphor for the balance we seek in life is not the scales, it's the pendulum.  Nature is not statically in balance - it waxes and wanes equally in constant kinesis.  (Poor America is constantly waxing, it doesn't know how to wane.  No wonder so many people get cancer.)
 
Gus
 
Gus I really appreciated your writing.I know that was certainly true of
my oldest son,who was diagnosed ADD at age 11.Once I pulled him out of
public school his symptoms al but disappeared!Thanks for
writing...Debbie in va

> A S (Gus) Griffin wrote:
>
> I have been thoroughly enjoying monitoring this site for a few weeks
> now - you're a fine bunch of people - and I very much like the freedom
> you exercise here (most sites seem to have their self-appointed
> Consistency Police that just make things boring.)  I haven't
> contributed much because I'm not homeschooling myself - my three girls
> are grown - but I would like to make a comment on recent postings in
> which various diagnoses of child disorders have been mentioned.
>
> I really do recommend to those parents that you get hold of A S
> Neill's books which are not just about free-schooling, but also about
> child-rearing.  When the environment is right, the majority of these
> disorders unravel of their own accord.  To label them and address them
> directly is to some degree to reinforce them.
>
> I don't underestimate the help it can be to finally have a label for
> what is going on, but there is a downside to that which should be
> taken into account.  In my attitudinal training business, I work with
> kids from time to time - and get great results at undoing these
> conditions the psychs and medicos would have us believe are genetic,
> must be treated with drugs, etc.  In my experience, the only box a
> child should ever be put in is one that can be instantly demolished.
>
> By that I mean the diagnosis should immediately lead to a resolution
> of the problem, or the diagnosis is not to be trusted, no matter how
> "logical" it may sound or how "close" it may fit.
>
> Of course, the other type of box that can be instantly demolished is
> of the cardboard variety - I thoroughly recommend them for children
> too.
>
> Gus
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
> Check it all out at: http://www.unschooling.com
>
> To Unsubscribe: mailto:[email protected]
Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
Check it all out at: http://www.unschooling.com

To Unsubscribe: mailto:[email protected]

Debra Caruso

Gus I totally agree with what you presented.The only reason I got used
to using the labels,is because in the public school,I couldn't get any
help for my son unless the labels were used,but that doesn't matter now
because he will be home again :)Have a good Sunday ....deb