"Follow Your Heart"

Joyce Fetteroll responding to some public "Follow your heart" advice:

Notes and link below, but for now, the starry-starred quotes are someone not appearing in this film (as it were), and the REAL star quotes are Joyce Fetteroll:

** I find that I feel most comfortable when I follow my heart and my own intentions with my kids. **

It's such a pretty sounding sentiment but some people's hearts lead them to spank the devil out of their children.
Some people's hearts lead them to forcefully prevent non-organic food to pass their children's lips or non-natural fibers to touch their bodies.
My heart would have said Calvert curriculum is the bee's knees!😉
Lots of hearts get warped by life. Lots of hearts want to relive childhood through their children. Not all hearts sing true.

** I think there is a difference between saying, "here's what worked for me when I was navigating my way through it", and someone/anyone who insists they know the way everyone should approach their kids/life. **

While I suspect the first feels more drawing and the second more off-putting, feelings don't always know best. Lots of people feel frightened at the thought of homeschooling.
If a parent has found something that works for their family without understanding why it worked and how much personality played in it, then for others it's little better than rolling dice and picking some technique at random.
On the other hand, those who are living examined lives. thinking about and discussing why something works in the context of growing relationships, that's way better than dice! And no one should swallow what's said uncritically. They should take it in, turn it over, ask questions and examine it for themselves.
Critical examination is better for reaching clear goals than pretty sentiments of "following the heart" and "mom knows best."

It was about TV, originally, so if anyone here wants to read more about TV, and a little wrastle in the dust, and a save, and some wisdom by M Lewis and others... here y'go: http://familyrun.ning.com/forum/topic/... The preserved version of that discussion doesn't have Joyce's response, so I'm glad I saved it! It has a few others, with good (and some bad) ideas.

One person wrote "I understand and honestly I feel it is totally appropriate for you to follow your gut reactions about this...I have struggled in the past about TV and computer use and just realized that at this time I cannot be comfortable with my 5 yo child watching DVDs for hours and then computer games for hours...." [I added the emphasis.]

Because of that, I am inspired to start another collection, of advice to follow one's heart, or guts, or other specific recommendations to be illogical. It will be here, if I finish it.

More Joyce Fetteroll