Kids and television. There are a myriad of beliefs about how the two should go together – if at all. There are strong opinions on all sides. In my discussions with parents, most often their main concern is finding an approach that helps their kids the most, and harms them the least. There is so […]
Rethinking Food
Let them eat whatever they want? Are you crazy! Start talking about letting kids make their own food choices, and this is pretty much a universal reaction. People go right to the extreme: “If my kid could eat whatever he wanted, his diet would consist entirely of cake, candy, soda pop, and potato chips.” “She […]
My Favorite Websites
Don’t you just love it when, after months of staring at the same to-do list, you finally get to cross something off? I sure do! Sometimes I actually complete a task and THEN write it on my to-do list, just so I can cross it off. I know. It’s a little bit weird. And possibly […]
My Favorite Video Clips
Have you had a chance to check out the clips on my videos page? I love hearing what others have to say about unschooling, child development, and the current education system, and I’ve been collecting my favorites to share with you. If you have a few minutes, take a look! What would you add to […]
Taking Off the Training Wheels
“Mommy, take off my training wheels. I want to ride like a big kid!” my four-year old commanded. It was all of two weeks since she’d received her first two-wheeler, and she was tired of those “baby training wheels” holding her back. She wanted some speed, wanted to feel the wind whipping through her hair, […]
School Days
According to my town calendar, school officially starts tomorrow, and Thomas becomes a fifth grader. Having taught fifth grade, I’ve been feeling somewhat nostalgic all summer. How did my baby get this old so quickly? Is it possible that five academic years have passed since we started this homeschooling journey? It’s been a bittersweet feeling, […]
Identifying Your Child’s Underlying Needs
One of the major ideas of peaceful parenting is that what we often term “misbehavior” is actually an expression of an underlying need. In the past several decades, parents have gotten pretty good at applying this idea to babies. Most of us are on board with the idea that a crying baby is a baby […]
Catch the Unschooling Summit
I’m happy to announce the upcoming 2013 Unschooling Summit, created by Michelle Barone. Michelle has gathered an exciting line up of speakers to support you on your journey – wherever it may be taking you! Summit interviews will air June 10th through June 14th You can register for FREE at Unschooling Summit The 2013 Unschooling […]
It’s All in the Image
Recently we became the proud owners of a beautiful new Bengal kitten named Misty. He came into our lives because of my daughter Katy’s deep and abiding passion for cats. For a long time, we didn’t see a cat in our future (mainly because of the rattling asthmatic wheeze that I develop after about 10 […]
From Wheezing to Why Not?: Supporting Children’s Passions
This weekend, our new kitten, Misty, joined our family. He was a long time in coming – and I’m not just talking about the 10 weeks we had to wait until he was weaned and ready to leave his mama. No, for us the journey to our kitten was long and winding, with many challenges […]