Parents keep child's gender a secret

[DoulaMama]

It's great that you have a supportive community of fellow unschoolers! That makes all of the difference for a lot of people. I did check it out...not my personal preference, but I am sure your kids will have a great future indeed.

I don't know if you're up for a bit of reading but there is a great book by Jon Taylor Gatto(a teacher of 20+ years in the school system in New York)and it's called Dumbing us Down. Fantastic read about the school system. I think everyone should read it. It's small and easy to get through in a few days but it's eye-opening. Not to try to change your mind or anything...I swear It's just one of those books that truly made me think about my kids schooling and future.
xo

[purplepoet20]

I agree with this too. Media needs to focus on important things. I have zero problems with this family but does it really need to be covered?? Right now the FDA is seizing all "birth pools" and is trying to make it illegal to sell them unless you have a licence. Now their telling us where we can and cannot birth!! This, on the other hand, needs media attention.

There is nothing wrong with a birthing pool most people giving birth at home plan ahead of time and have help so everything is covered..... they should go after the people giving birth and dumping the baby.

[purplepoet20]

Books by Alfie Kohn about grading, awards, testing and so on are a really good read.... made me change my mind on having my kids IQ's tested. DS1 is very smart and has always been 1-2 years ahead of other kids his age and everyone he meets knows it right away and we thought about testing him and getting him into a gifted program that the local college offers. But after reading the Alfie Kohn books and doing research on the gift kids and what happens when they are adults we decided to let him learn as he goes so he can move as far as he wants in subjects but still be allowed to play as much as he wants. I can't see him at 3 years old spend 8 hrs a day 6 days a week in school and then have 6-10hrs of homework each week, the free college scholarship is not worth it.

[LolaInLove]

I agree with this too. Media needs to focus on important things. I have zero problems with this family but does it really need to be covered?? Right now the FDA is seizing all "birth pools" and is trying to make it illegal to sell them unless you have a licence. Now their telling us where we can and cannot birth!! This, on the other hand, needs media attention.

WHHHHAAAAATTT? That is just crazy! You are right, THAT needs to be in the media's eye right now instead.

[LolaInLove]

I don't know if you're up for a bit of reading but there is a great book by Jon Taylor Gatto(a teacher of 20+ years in the school system in New York)and it's called Dumbing us Down. Fantastic read about the school system. I think everyone should read it. It's small and easy to get through in a few days but it's eye-opening. Not to try to change your mind or anything...I swear It's just one of those books that truly made me think about my kids schooling and future.
xo

TOTALLY gonna read that, DM, thanks for the rec! I am so not against unschooling, it just isn't an option for us, and would be really frowned upon where we live. I don't really know many people who homeschool even, the "traditional" way. Actually, we do have pretty decent public schools, but I do take matters into my own hands a lot. I saw a lady on another website's forum say that you can't unschool your kids after regular school, which is what I like to think we do, she says it's a way of life. But, I think that is a little narrow-minded.....I mean, my ex-dh (their dad) would NEVER even consent to them being homeschooled, he is such a conservative Joe America *barf*. But, I have no problem with letting them skip school if I have a day off and we go do something educational.....last time, we went to Atlanta and spent the whole day at MLK's memorial site and his church and we learned all about it. You know, I know it's probably not the same thing as unschooling, but I like to think I am at least doing a good job supplementing their education with real world things that interest them every chance I get, which is better than a lot of parents in this country....pretty much one of the worst problems with public education in this country.

[LolaInLove]

By the way, totally not trying to belittle or compare to unschooling by saying we do cool stuff as much as possible....I do get that it is a way of life and an education system that is not to be compared to taking educational field trips on my Fridays off!

[DoulaMama]

By the way, totally not trying to belittle or compare to unschooling by saying we do cool stuff as much as possible....I do get that it is a way of life and an education system that is not to be compared to taking educational field trips on my Fridays off!

No Worries!!! I don't worry myself about what others do in regards to schooling their children. I took no offense. I know that, sometimes, unschooling is looked upon as a lazy/uneducated way to school children....in fact I think it's the exact opposite From the sounds of it, you totally school your children...for the most part, as parents, we all do in one way or another. Manners, finances, house cleaning, cooking, driving, gardening, religion, social etiquette, seeing the world....we do so many things with our kids and they learn all day from us. I really wasn't sure what type of schooling I wanted for my kids but I knew I did not want to send them to the public schools here. We don't have great schools and I knew that I could teach them or find someone to help teach them, easily. I'm still not sure how long we'll homeschool/unschool for...but I'm hoping that it just gets easier with age and we'll figure it out as we go.

As for taking your kids out and traveling/educating them.... I think that is amazing Not many kids are lucky to have parents that do that for them. Many rely totally on the system to give them a well rounded education and most of us know that that is not the case. I was homeschooled for 2 years in high school and we went to many places. Those 2 years are the most memorable years of my life. I became ME. I truly found myself and it shaped who I am today in a profound way. I want my kids to see as much of the world as they can, I want them to LOVE learning and continue learning through their lives.
As for unschooling being a lifestyle....I guess you could call it a lifestyle. I don't believe in testing, text books, etc. I don't think kids retain that info. I know for me...and I'm sure many others can say the same...I memorized everything for tests...and then by the next month that info was gone. I crammed info into my head for 3-4 days...and then hoped that it would stay in there for the tests, papers....
Plus I don't believe in age segregation, or learning at set times of the day...or set curriculum...or having to learn on certain days...the list goes on. I want my kids to pick what they learn...how they learn...when they learn...to be interested in everything we do because it was their choice in the first place. I don't want a test in the third grade to tell my child that he is a failure because he can't read as fast as 70% of the other children. Sorry...didn't mean to rant Just a lot of problems with public schooling.

Keep doing what you're doing Lola!! Your kids will thank you later

[purplepoet20]

In a way unschooling is harder work....

If your child wants to study "planets" you have to go get enough supplies allow your child to take as long as they want or need... and then... when they decide to study something else you have to start all over again.

Unschooling parents have 10x's more schooling supplies then lets say a religious homeschool. When you choose to based homeschool on your religion or culture you buy just what is approved, but for unschooling you are opening the world to your child and saying learn everything. You end up getting books on every subject, videos to help explain what you don't know, charts and diagrams to put up around the house, online research to educate yourself so you can be ready to answer questions, and sometimes spending hours trying to find activities that help teach what your child is interested in. Your house becomes over cluttered with things you have collected as your child learns. And you learn how to turn everything around you into a lesson, without them knowing... DS1 has learned colors, ABC's, and 123's while shopping at the store.

There is a good number of unschooling families where I live... you learn a lot by just visit their homes for play dates.

[DoulaMama]

WHHHHAAAAATTT? That is just crazy! You are right, THAT needs to be in the media's eye right now instead.

Here's an excerpt from a blog I follow....

The Food and Drug Administration seized a shipment of Aquaborn birthing tubs in a Portland, OR, dock, claiming the tubs are unauthorized medical equipment, and have ordered FDA agents to search and destroy the tubs. Barbara Harper, author of Gentle Birth Choices and founder of Waterbirth International, had a conversation with an FDA official in which she was told, “Pregnancy is an illness and birth is a medical event. Therefore, a pool that a woman gives birth in should be classified as medical equipment.”

[purplepoet20]

So now women are going to just give birth in a dirty tub, kitchen floor, or in the backyard... If a women wants to have a baby at home they will do anything!

At least the stores still have kiddy pools, a good cleaning, and it would work... until the government says that kiddy pools should be destroyed!