Podcasts - Page 14

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Parenting Teenagers: Why I Don’t Make Rules

Every now and then, I stumble across a blog post containing a long list of rules for keeping teenagers safe from the dangers of the world. Teenagers may not be happy to abide by some of these rules, but does that matter? Parents might say: “We have to lay down the rules even if our children protest. Parenting isn’t about being popular.”…
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Radical Unschooling

Are you thinking about radical unschooling? Maybe you see the benefits of educational unschooling and now you’re thinking about letting unschooling spill over into all aspects of life. What do you do next? Perhaps you say to your kids, “We’re going to try radical unschooling. From now on you’re free to choose when you go to bed, what you eat, if you help with the chores… You can do whatever…
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Learning from Life, Record-Keeping, and Strewing

Last week, life was very busy. And even though there was no time for such things as ‘school’, we had a week jam-packed with learning. By the time Friday rolled around, I had an equally jam-packed unschool records book. Yes, notes were spilling out of my Evernote notebook, and our heads were buzzing with all the things we’d learned. In this week’s podcast episode, I tell you about our week…
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Go Out There and Make a Difference!

Do you ever compare yourself to someone else who’s doing similar work to you? Do you feel discouraged if they seem to be more successful than you? Perhaps you feel like giving up. Why bother? Well, don’t give up. You have a unique voice. So do I. So does everyone. No one can do things in the exact same way as us. We all have an important job to do.…
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Reassessing

It’s the first day of the official school holidays so my husband Andy is home from school for two weeks. He’s looking forward to resting after his busy term teaching. He got his holiday off to a good start by sleeping in a little later than normal. But the girls and I didn’t linger in bed this morning. No, we were up early so we could film a new music…
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Another Typical Unschooling Day

A couple of weeks ago, I emailed the subscribers of my unschooling newsletter with a question: … what do you think about a ‘typical unschooling day’ feature? Would it be interesting to read about each other’s days? Of course, we’re not going to judge one another. We won’t say such things as, “That’s not my idea of an unschooly day.” We’re just going to enjoy seeing things from different families’…
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Unschooling Siblings Working Together

My daughter Imogen’s latest music video features her three younger siblings, Charlotte, Sophie, and Gemma-Rose. The four girls sing the Enya song, Wild Child. When I watch this video, it’s not the singing that I enjoy the most. I’m not thinking, “Oh wow! Aren’t my girls talented?” Yes, the singing is okay (and I guess it needs to be if Imogen is going to fulfil her dream of becoming a…
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Is Play Important for Both Adults and Children?

“Do you remember when we used to pretend the baby bath was a boat?” asks my daughter Imogen. “We used to climb into it, and then try and move it over the ground using sticks.” Her eyes glow. “That was the best game!” It was just as well I never needed that bath. I preferred washing the baby in the laundry sink. “Do you remember when we used to build…
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Helping a Child Discover Her Talents

If a child has a talent won’t it just appear without any encouragement? If you’re meant to be an artist, it will be very evident. The same with being a writer or a musician or even a fireman. Surely, a talent can’t stay hidden? Or maybe it can. When I was growing up, I didn’t think I had any talents. I was an unremarkable child. I was rather ordinary. I…
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Choosing Not to Worry About What Other People Might Think

When you’re looking for photos of yourself to post on your blog or Facebook page, do you ever reject any? And if you do, what don’t you like about them? I often reject photos that show too many of my wrinkles. “That one makes me look old,” I say.  I also don’t like photos of myself with uncomfortable smiles. They make me look old too. Yes, I’m very picky when…
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Tired and Difficult Days

Today I’m tired. “Have you got anything you really need to do?” asks my daughter Imogen. “I haven’t yet recorded my podcast,” I reply. “I should do that today.” “Well, you do that first, and then you must rest. We’ll look after you.” I’m very fortunate. When I’m tired, I have older children who are prepared to look after me. But it wasn’t always this way. I can remember when…
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Trust, Respect, and Love Unconditionally

Yesterday, I wrote a blog post called A Few Raw Thoughts on a Crumpled Piece of Paper. In this post, I explored some thoughts about unconditional love, respect, and trust. This morning, I told my daughter Sophie what I’d been writing about, and she started sharing her own thoughts on this subject. I found these thoughts very interesting. I scribbled them down on a scrap of paper as Sophie was…
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