A Novel Writing Adventure
Imogen is sitting in the family room with her netbook balanced on the arm of the sofa. I look over her shoulder and notice she is writing a blog post…. another one. She always seems to be writing. The other…
Rules, Responsible Parenting and Radical Unschooling
If you do a Google search on unschooling it won’t take you very long to find someone criticising unschoolers. The most judged unschoolers are those who have adopted a radical way of life: those who do not force a set…
How It’s Okay if We’re Not Perfect Parents
Do I want to be as good a mother as Sue Elvis? Or do I want Sue Elvis to be my mother? Perhaps a bit of both. Another phenomenal book that I’ll read again and again. Sue’s books remind me…
No More Nice, Dead People!
This is a guest post by Carolyn Blessington. Late 2012, about when the world was supposed to end and more than two years before my first child was born, I took a class called REALationship 101 with a guy named…
Misconceptions: Unschooling Parents are Lazy
I republished this post after reverting it to draft. I have doubts I expressed my thoughts properly. My intention was to encourage parents, who are thinking about unschooling, not to be put off by claims it’s a lazy way of…
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 cubby houses under the pine trees?” asks sister Charlotte. “Oh…
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 used to dream about being someone special without realising that…
It’s Not a Periscope 4: Morning Tea and Library Books
Every day at 10 am we drop everything and have morning tea. But we don’t always drink tea. Sometimes we have coffee or hot chocolate or even a cold drink. Confusing? If you have a morning tea custom, you’ll understand! Today I’m inviting you to visit me for morning tea. You don’t need to bring anything to eat. Sophie has made some of her special sugar-free chocolate cakes. Will I make tea or coffee? Will it be real coffee or…
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 it comes to photos. I’m concerned about my image. I…
It’s Not a Periscope 3: A Bush Walk
A sunny almost-winter afternoon. I’m taking Nora the dog for a walk. We’re heading down to the bush at the end of our road. Would you like to come too? I have to warn you: I’m a fast walker. And how do you feel about running up a steep hill? Will you dash across a playing field with me? Sound a bit energetic? We’ll be able to catch our breaths when I stop to chat. I want to tell you…
Beautiful Faces
Last night, I ordered our groceries online for the third week in a row. I shouted, “What do we need?” My daughter Imogen looked in the pantry and fridge and told me what things were running low. Then I clicked a whole lot of stuff into my cart. I chose a delivery time. Shopping done. Easy. This morning, I didn’t have to drive into town to buy our weekly groceries. So I said, “Gemma-Rose, would you like to walk to…
It’s Not a Periscope 2: Pictures
Did you watch my first it’s-not-a-periscope? It only took ten minutes to make it. I spoke. My daughter Sophie recorded. We did it all in one take. “That was easy,” I said when we’d finished “I could make loads of these videos. All I need is a few spare minutes. I could talk about all kinds of things.” So a few days later, I shouted, “Hey, Sophie! How about we record another it’s-not-a-periscope? We’ve just got enough time before we have our…
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 a tired day was also a very difficult day. In…
Babies, Toddlers and Unschooling (Part 2)
Felicity, our firstborn child was an excellent baby. She fed every 3 or 4 hours, I’d change her nappy, pop her in her cot…
An Interview with a Teenage Radical Unschooler
Last week, in episode 109 of my unschooling podcast, I was chatting about radical unschooling. This week, I’m interviewing Sophie (16) who is a radical…
Ideas, Passions, and Earning an Income
Has blogging changed? Are people no longer very interested in reading my posts? Maybe they prefer listening to my podcasts? Is it time to…
Unschooling: Trusting the Process and Letting Go of Control
“I kind of love my title for this podcast. It’s very ambitious. Let’s fix it all!” And so begins another Ladies Fixing the World conversation in which Cecilie Conrad, Sandra Dodd and I dive deep into unschooling, sharing our thoughts and experiences. In S2E4, we discuss Unschooling: Trusting the Process and Letting Go. Want to know more…
Learning to Read and Trusting Unschooling
It is absolutely essential that we are curious people who are excited about the possibilities in life. The atmosphere in our homes gets picked up by our kids so they think it’s normal to learn, to be curious, to follow thoughts and ideas and try things out… I was battling with my kids for a while. They kept saying, ‘Why…
Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Curiosity, Flexibility, and Trust
I’m a Lady Fixing the World! Cecilie Conrad kindly invited me to join her and Sandra Dodd for Season 2 of her podcastThe Ladies Fixing the World. We recorded our first unschooling conversation together in November 2024 before life got extra-busy with Christmas, and it has just gone live! The audio version. Here’s the audio version: You can also listen…
Is It Okay if Parents Want to Influence Their Unschooling Kids?
Is it okay if we try to influence our unschooling kids? What if we’d like them to acquire particular values? Can we expose them to our beliefs? Or should we stand back and try to keep quiet about the things we base our lives on and let our kids work out everything for themselves? Let’s say we decide it’s…
Reading Out Loud and a Generous Christmas
Do you like listening to stories being read out loud? I have to admit that this isn’t my favourite activity. My mind tends to wander and I miss half the words. But my kids are different from me. They love reading aloud time. Even though most of my children are grown up, they still like to gather whenever anyone opens…