The Whole Mama

Disappointing

I believe this video covers all 7 minutes that aired recently on ABC’s Nightline program. Having watched it, I feel quite disappointed. How much of what we saw related to the edit and how much to the material available to edit is something I can’t know. Mainly, I feel that it once again failed to show the benefits of unschooling to anyone not yet familiar to it, while pandering to the all too familiar stereotypes in mainstream media about unschooling.

Perhaps some of the primary benefits I see in my family as a result of whole life unschooling and believe other families (including the Martins) experience are difficult to capture when a stranger is asking direct questions and a camera crew are skewing the energy of the family home so that the norm isn’t really present to be filmed?

Oh, the irony …

I’ve been going through a transition in my life and at times, it has been pretty exhausting and last week was one of those times. And it shone a light of irony on perhaps one of the very few “down sides” to unschooling that I can think of.

I practise whole life unschooling and, for me, it needs practise every day as I heal away from my authoritarian childhood and surrender to the flow, love and respect available in the moment. So that means my children have choice … and discussions and guidance about their choices, but they do have the final say about what goes into their bodies, when their bodies need rest, what they want to do with their time and what they want to watch on TV, just as I do.

Well Spring is well and truly here and so is that wonderful drive to clear away anything that doesn’t serve me or my family and draw in an abundant life that does.

At home, I installed a fire pit in my garden last week and my kids and I have already had our first barbeque on it and spent almost every night since sitting around it’s warmth enjoying the night and firelit dinners together. I don’t quite remember a British Spring that’s seemed so warm and inviting to be in Nature since I arrived here and I’m enjoying it as much as I can. The fire’s also been the focus of some deep ceremonies that I’ve done to release patterns and beliefs that don’t serve me, as well as a lot of grief, disappointment and sadness that I have experienced recently.

As it’s only a few days away to Christmas and this time of year brings up a lot of issues for a lot of people related to family or finances or other festive stresses, I thought I’d post this great video by Brad Yates to help with magic tapping those stresses away so that you can find it easier to focus on what you do want rather than whatever you are finding stressful in your current situation.

Wishing all my readers a wonderful Christmas filled with abundance and joy and happy memories to look back on as you head towards the end of the year.

I’m just posting a quick note about these two book series for unschoolers. It’s so great to have some fictional books appearing that reflect some of our lifestyle when most books my family reads about other families talk about school, homework and grades. Both these authors had found the same and created these books to fill that need:

For younger readers:

“I Am Learning All the Time”
Written by Rain Fordyce
Illustrated by Audrey Miles-Cherney

Description: A large, eco-friendly, perfect binding,
soft-cover, 8¼” x 10” full illustration color book.

I Am Learning All the Time is the story about 5 1/2 year-old Hugh as he begins the discovery process of what it means to not go to school. He reflects on life at home and life of his neighborhood friends, who go to school.

A fun, compelling story narrated by Hugh about his life at home. Full of bright, eye-catching illustrations with realistic (and realistically messy) scenes from family life. Your children will love and identify with the characters in this book.

And for older readers:

The series follows the fictional Wright family as they travel the entire United States of America in their RV. The children, Nadia and Aidan, are homeschoolers. Each book is set in a different state with a different fun and educational theme. The Wright on Time books are:
* Exciting and Mysterious!
* Fun and Educational!
* Feature homeschooled children and active, involved parents!
* Contain characters who actually like each other!

Wright on Time: Arizona, Book 1: Explore a desert cave with the Wright family as they begin their 50 state RV homeschooling tour of the USA. What will Aidan & Nadia discover? Bats? Gems? Minerals? Speleothems? A mysterious device? This is where the fun begins!

Click here to see a movie about the book!

Your Recommendations

Do you know of other fiction written about home schoolers or unschoolers?  Please let me know so that I have a look at them and share the details.

Thank you!