New Member Here
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Hi all:
My name is Dawn, hubbie Steve and 2 boys Zak 5 in August and Max nearly 9
months old. I seem to be somewhat conventional in a lot of things such as
getting married and having a father for my children. I'm very business
oriented and organized in most of my life. Yet when it comes to my kids I'm
very reluctant to shove them into an institution. I just keep thinking "what
have they done wrong to deserve us deserting them"... I'm struggling with the
idea of unschooling. Not because I don't think it works, I do 100%. I'm
just confused about how I get comfortable with just doing whatever the next
thing is and do I have to keep entertaining them or will they ask for what
they need and if they don't will I be neglectful? I guess those are the
biggest concerns. I have my own business in the home which I can work around
the kids and hubbie is just as happy to quit working outside the home and
stay home with them if necessary and I be the major breadwinner. So we have
the right mix. I have Zak in a preschool at the moment, but the more he's
there (and this is a school where all they do is play), the more
uncomfortable I am with the idea of him going to something that's rigid and
decides what he learns and when.
Feedback from you all would be great on how to allay my fears.
Looking forward to reading more on this list and learning a lot
Dawn
My name is Dawn, hubbie Steve and 2 boys Zak 5 in August and Max nearly 9
months old. I seem to be somewhat conventional in a lot of things such as
getting married and having a father for my children. I'm very business
oriented and organized in most of my life. Yet when it comes to my kids I'm
very reluctant to shove them into an institution. I just keep thinking "what
have they done wrong to deserve us deserting them"... I'm struggling with the
idea of unschooling. Not because I don't think it works, I do 100%. I'm
just confused about how I get comfortable with just doing whatever the next
thing is and do I have to keep entertaining them or will they ask for what
they need and if they don't will I be neglectful? I guess those are the
biggest concerns. I have my own business in the home which I can work around
the kids and hubbie is just as happy to quit working outside the home and
stay home with them if necessary and I be the major breadwinner. So we have
the right mix. I have Zak in a preschool at the moment, but the more he's
there (and this is a school where all they do is play), the more
uncomfortable I am with the idea of him going to something that's rigid and
decides what he learns and when.
Feedback from you all would be great on how to allay my fears.
Looking forward to reading more on this list and learning a lot
Dawn
CA Nelson
Hi and welcome! I have some of the same questions and fears as you do when it comes to unschooling my one-year-old daughter. Sorry I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to welcome you and let you know you're not alone with your thoughts.
--
Amy Nelson
Mama to Accalia (6/14/99)
"The hardest to learn was the least complicated." - The Indigo Girls
Trisha Sides
Welcome Dawn!
Keep reading this list it is wonderful and banishes my doubts daily. I
have found ,in my experience that you do not have to entertain them
constantly, in fact it's probably better if you don't, they become more
creative when left to their own devices. I'm always amazed by what my son
(age 6) comes up with on his own. Good luck.
Trisha
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Keep reading this list it is wonderful and banishes my doubts daily. I
have found ,in my experience that you do not have to entertain them
constantly, in fact it's probably better if you don't, they become more
creative when left to their own devices. I'm always amazed by what my son
(age 6) comes up with on his own. Good luck.
Trisha
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
[email protected]
In a message dated 06/20/2000 2:00:15 AM !!!First Boot!!!, NumoAstro@...
writes:
<< Feedback from you all would be great on how to allay my fears. >>
Dawn --
He's in preschool?
So you could try it for a while and see how it works. Keep him home. Try
doing a few things. We are going fishing today, for example.
See if everyone likes it.
Since you are used to being out there in the corp world (even tho from home)
it may be an adjustment. And your son may miss his little play buddies.
Maybe you could see how he adjusts and how you adjust.
Then, in a year or 2, when K or 1st grade would be appropriate you could
reassess.
If you're having a ball (as I suspect) you could continue on and explore the
world and guide when you think it's important and follow your son's interests
when they take off and, this is big to me, get him a library card!, and turn
your house into the same kind of mess I'm living in with books stacked
everywhere (but we're happy).
Or not. You could decide hsing just is not for you. You long for the more
traditional, structured approach and think he would do better in school.
Since you seem to care so much about doing the right thing, I'm sure you
will. Whatever that turns out to be for you and yours.
Good luck exploring.
Nance
writes:
<< Feedback from you all would be great on how to allay my fears. >>
Dawn --
He's in preschool?
So you could try it for a while and see how it works. Keep him home. Try
doing a few things. We are going fishing today, for example.
See if everyone likes it.
Since you are used to being out there in the corp world (even tho from home)
it may be an adjustment. And your son may miss his little play buddies.
Maybe you could see how he adjusts and how you adjust.
Then, in a year or 2, when K or 1st grade would be appropriate you could
reassess.
If you're having a ball (as I suspect) you could continue on and explore the
world and guide when you think it's important and follow your son's interests
when they take off and, this is big to me, get him a library card!, and turn
your house into the same kind of mess I'm living in with books stacked
everywhere (but we're happy).
Or not. You could decide hsing just is not for you. You long for the more
traditional, structured approach and think he would do better in school.
Since you seem to care so much about doing the right thing, I'm sure you
will. Whatever that turns out to be for you and yours.
Good luck exploring.
Nance
[email protected]
Nance:
Thanks for writing what you did. It made me feel sick to think of him in a
traditional type of school or even being in school. Since I wrote this last
night hubbie and I had a long talk way into the early hours and Zak is not
going back to pre-school. Last night Zak told me a story about monsters and
I asked him if he'd like to go to the library today to look for books on
monsters and on the computer. He also suggested we could spend some time
drawing and coloring monsters and then we could drive around the neighborhood
(It's 110 here today in the desert) and look for them. I'm very open and
willing to do this an I guess this is what unschooling is all about. The
baby (9months) is exploring walking now anyway and seems quite entertained by
his brother being here.
I'll continue to be constantly concerned about both of them and "the right
thing" but that's my Virgo perfectionism coming out (LOL)... (P.S. I'm an
Astrologer)
Thanks again
Dawn F
Thanks for writing what you did. It made me feel sick to think of him in a
traditional type of school or even being in school. Since I wrote this last
night hubbie and I had a long talk way into the early hours and Zak is not
going back to pre-school. Last night Zak told me a story about monsters and
I asked him if he'd like to go to the library today to look for books on
monsters and on the computer. He also suggested we could spend some time
drawing and coloring monsters and then we could drive around the neighborhood
(It's 110 here today in the desert) and look for them. I'm very open and
willing to do this an I guess this is what unschooling is all about. The
baby (9months) is exploring walking now anyway and seems quite entertained by
his brother being here.
I'll continue to be constantly concerned about both of them and "the right
thing" but that's my Virgo perfectionism coming out (LOL)... (P.S. I'm an
Astrologer)
Thanks again
Dawn F
[email protected]
In a message dated 06/20/2000 12:47:48 PM !!!First Boot!!!, NumoAstro@...
writes:
<< Since I wrote this last
night hubbie and I had a long talk way into the early hours and Zak is not
going back to pre-school. Last night Zak told me a story about monsters and
I asked him if he'd like to go to the library today t >>
There you go!!
Have fun!!
Nance
writes:
<< Since I wrote this last
night hubbie and I had a long talk way into the early hours and Zak is not
going back to pre-school. Last night Zak told me a story about monsters and
I asked him if he'd like to go to the library today t >>
There you go!!
Have fun!!
Nance