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Learning in Freedom

Welcome to Learning in Freedom, a blog all about the learning adventures (and mishaps) of the Allen family. My four children are unschooled, following their interests and passions every day and living the lives of their choosing. The purpose of this blog is to share our every day lives (and my not-so-humble opinons) with anyone interested in stopping by. We hope this will give a glimpse of how natural learning unfolds from day to day......

Friday, August 17, 2007

Rant

I read on one of my lists this morning, about a single Mom enrolling her only child in school because she gets NO breaks. Whatever. When she said something about loving her child but how the rest of us only have a taste of how hard it is to parent alone (when our partners are gone for a couple days) I got my hackles up. Of course I believe she loves her child deeply. I resent the assumption that the rest of us know nothing of single parenting or what it's like to not have a partner. One of my best friends in Pensacola has been a single parent for most of the last decade and manages to unschool joyfully with three children and a passle of grandchildren visiting (two of her children are raised with children of their own). Hows that for single???

So how do the single parents unschool for years and years? I had FOUR children and was single for many months. School is a cop out, I'm sorry but it is. Especially when you are wanting a break and your child is driving you nuts. Change your parenting style so you can embrace your child and ENJOY them. Can you imagine being put in school because your Mom is tired of spending time with you? What kind of message does that send?

I know people who have utilized school in order to survive. I actually understand that. I know food and housing might be unavailable in some situations if a parent didn't make money in some form. I know people who have done that temporarily in order to change their lives. I get that...really I do. But in order to get away from your child? Nope, I don't understand that at all.

Judgemental perhaps. My opinion it is. I think parents should change themselves and how they treat their children before they decide that school is some kind of solution for anything.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Booger juice

Sitting on the bed just now while Bleu and Ciara add things on the calculator, Jalen is digging around in his nose. After he pulls his finger out:

"What ya got there" I ask.
"Nothing!" says he.

"Want me to go get you a tissue?" (as I'm fairly sure there must be something attached to finger...it was quite a dig).

"No Mom, LOOK." and he holds up the dig finger, "it's just booger juice."

"Oh, I see."....suppressing laughter only slightly.

"And booger juice is lactose intolerant"

Huh? This is the kid that didn't talk until almost three years of age? Where did he hear "lactose intolerant" anyway?

I ask him to repeat, to make sure I heard correctly...still wondering how booger juice becomes lactose intolerant and he said something about us not knowing ANYTHING about booger juice in a somewhat annoyed voice.

I wonder what google would pull up for "booger juice"....?

Hmmmmmmm....