Listening to Kids
The other day I interviewed my 14-year-old daughter, Sophie: I wanted to hear her opinions about perfect families, mistakes and listening to kids. It was only later when I watched the finished video, I realised I’d made a big mistake: I’d done more talking than listening, especially in the first few minutes.
Yes, I’m not perfect. I make mistakes all the time. How do I know this? Sophie told me so in the interview! After a couple of minutes, I finally gave my daughter a chance to talk, and what she had to say was very interesting. Yes, when we take the time to listen to our kids, we learn a lot.
In this week’s podcast, I share some thoughts on perfection, mistakes and listening to kids.
In episode 60, I talk about:
Celebrations and joy: Why should we celebrate the small everyday things in life?
Cake: Did I make my kids adopt a sugar-free diet? Do we no longer eat cake?
Perfection: Are we a perfect family? Do we need to be perfect if I’m sharing my family’s experiences on the Internet?
Mistakes: If I do make mistakes, am I going to lead you astray? What if I tell you something that’s just not right?
Christian unschooling: Are we an obnoxious religious family? Is unschooling not a very Christian thing to do?
Listening: How do we encourage kids to talk to us? How can we improve our listening skills?
Popularity: Do I want to be popular?
I also tell my mean kids story, the one I forgot to talk about last week!
Show Notes
Blog Post
Can Unschooling Be a Christian Thing to Do?
Podcast
Being Honest: Talking About Mistakes and Perfection
I Quit Sugar
Video
Listening to Kids: An Unschooling Interview
Podcast Music
60’s Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Images: I took these photos last Sunday while we were having a picnic breakfast at the lake. We were celebrating how beautifully cool the early morning is on an Australian summer’s day!
You can find my Stories of an Unschooling Family podcast on
and here on my blog.
You could share your favourite way of celebrating or comment on anything in this week’s episode. Or you could just stop by to say hello. I’d like that!