Last week, our family finally took the plunge and entered the world of pet ownership. This was the culmination of two years of pleading on the part of our daughter, Katy, who was desperate for a cat. But that’s another story. We are now the proud owners of Lucky, our baby guinea pig. I know, […]
Navigating Emotions
Farewell, Sweet Cactus
Those of you who checked my status on facebook yesterday have already heard the sad news. Faith’s cactus is now among the dearly departed. Surprisingly, the sad passing of our cactus is not actually a recent event. The plant should have received its last rites and undergone funeral services at least a month ago. But […]
Peaceful Parenting: It’s All in my Head
My daughter Katy reminds me very much of myself. Nowhere is this more apparent than when she has what many people would call a “meltdown”. I remember what it felt like at her age to experience such enormous, strong emotions. Being a “spirited” child, I experienced all of my emotions intensely, including my anger. Back […]
Unschooling: Respecting Negative Emotions
My friend stopped over yesterday – and she was pissed. After a knock startling in its violence, she whipped open the door, removed each shoe and threw it down, slammed her purse on the nearest surface and flung herself onto my couch, launching into a loud, nearly incoherent tirade peppered liberally with expletives. “Whoa!” I […]
Small Bodies, Big Feelings: A Peaceful Parenting Perspective on Emotions
Last night, my daughter Katy was upset. Really, really upset. A while back, I would have said she’d had a huge “temper-tantrum” or “meltdown”. You know what that looks like, right? Katy was throwing and kicking things, lashing out physically at anybody who tried to get near her, screaming and crying. And this went on […]
Separation Anxiety: An Unschooler’s Perspective
Today I witnessed a heart-wrenching scene. Three year old Stella was being dropped off to a child-care class for the morning. Her mother was attending a week-long event for moms, and Stella had been placed in a small class with other preschool age children and several loving adults. The morning was packed with appealing activities led […]