Rethinking Bedtimes & Sleeping Arrangements
Most of us grew up with imposed bedtimes. This led to the belief that good parents make sure their children get enough sleep by having strict bedtimes. Dig underneath a little, and you come to realize that this thinking is full of unexamined assumptions.
Empty Nest
Our three-year old, Maggie, has always co-slept with us. But a little over a year ago we discovered the amazing benefits of co-sleeping as an entire family. For 13 blissful months, we all slept like...
Bedtimes
What!? No bed times! Are you nuts!? That’s usually the reaction we get when people find out our unschooled children don’t have a “bedtime”. Most of us grew up with imposed bedtimes, and adopted...
They Sleep WHERE? Family CoSleeping in Middle Class America
Ask people what comes to mind when they imagine a family that sleeps all together in one room, and you basically get three images. Some envision a family living in a foreign country. Others...
Sleeping Outside the Box: Part 1
Six years ago, when our twins were born, we added a second floor to our home. One day Gary, our builder, took me aside. “Let me design a bedroom that will be a sanctuary,” he...
Sleeping Outside the Box: Part 2
About 6 weeks ago, our family made a radical switch. If you’ve already read the first half of this article, Radical Unschooling: Sleeping Outside the Box, you know what it was. If...
Rethinking Our Approach to Food
No limits on food? Horrifying! Start talking about letting kids make their own food choices, and this is pretty much a universal reaction. Coming from a mainstream perspective, it seems impossible to believe that children without food restrictions could actually turn out healthy.
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...
Faith’s Food Story: Unschooling with Food
In my article about food, I mention that my daughter Faith is my best food story. So here it is: From the beginning, Faith has had issues around food. She always seemed worried that there...
Second Class Citizens: Rethinking How We Treat Our Children
Last night I walked into the middle of a conversation between two moms. The topic: the age old dinner-time struggle. One mom was lamenting about how tired she is of hearing that her kids...
Food Freedom: Success Stories
When my husband and I first began exploring the idea of food freedom – allowing our kids to make their own choices with regard to food – it really helped me to hear about other...
Rethinking Screen Time
There is no one-size-fits-all policy about how to handle screen time. But there are some things you can keep in mind as you’re exploring this issue: how to achieve balance – and what can get in the way.
What About Screen Time?
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...
Screen Time: Finding the Balance
Balance. It’s an ever-moving target, that elusive “just right” blend of social activities and alone time, physical activity and rest, screen time and actual face time…. In the...