As I lie here in bed with my laptop on my knees, my 17 year old daughter to my right snoozing, she is feeling unwell, it’s nearly 10am and yes I am still in bed. I feel inclined to pretend I am up, awake, having done a run and meditation, had breakfast, got dressed but none of that would be true. I am here in my jammies and the thought of walking down the corridor to the bathroom and doing my teeth right now seems a bit of an epic.
How do I love these children as much as I can? How do kids learn things that connect with their souls? How do the fireflies of inspiration spark their spirits? Can I help keep those iridescent lights of creativity shining? I ask myself these questions... I know that for me putting the kids in a schooling environment stopped being an option when I saw their spirits shrinking and the sparkle diminishing from their eyes. I also know that this may not be easy to read, especially if in your heart you feel through
How we show up is so important for our children and we are shaping who they are to become. I was struck by this thought the other day. I am raising children that will most likely go on to have children and I am modelling for them how to be as a parent. We as parents have a choice as to how we show up and we can change script for future generations. If you stop and think about it that is an amazing thought! I was brought up in
We are not going to the shops and buying school clothes for the next year, our kids are not mentally preparing themselves for what lies ahead in a few weeks, shoes are not getting shined, shirts not ironed, books not being especially bought, in our household none of this is going on. As we are not going back to school. Our household isn’t all Instagram shiney, we aren’t always on to the next thing smiling and laughing without a care in the world. There are days when I look at
‘Please put your shoes on’ were the words that came out of my mouth, we were about to walk to the beach. My son in his pyjama trousers, bare footed, free spirited. There are days when I just want him to put his shoes on, it is simple. But the shoe less days are there to teach me something. ‘Mum, I was born without shoes, shoes were invented after feet were, I don’t want to wear them’ In Spain or Italy, not wearing shoes socially is a thing. In South
Perhaps it is time to jump? Whilst sending our children to school I had a nagging feeling that I wasn’t telling the truth, to them or to myself. Do I have to go to school? Fake me; Yes Real Me; (No) Do I have to wear this uniform? FM; Yes RM; (No) Why Do I have to learn this stuff if it doesn’t interest me? FM; You Just do RM; Actually you don’t… I had this feeling that I was lying, that I was dumbing myself and my kids down
Simply put, if you talk to them with respect, they flourish. I don’t want to go for a long walk. Yes but you have to. Why. Because I said so. If you said that to me you might piss me off. Finish everything that is on your plate. That also might irritate me. Just do as I say. At that point, I would grab my coat and I probably would not come back and visit you. This is the way a lot of children get talked to and I get
I come from a family of teachers and have been an unofficial teacher myself in many ways, including a spell of homeschooling my own children. Now I find myself to be an unschooling parent but if you were a teacher and I was at your side before the kids enter the room this would happen. Firstly I would say how much I admire what you do. Secondly I would make you a cup of coffee or tea and if I had biscuits I would offer you one. Thirdly I would
Fourteen children of varying ages troupe around here, sometimes together, sometimes in small groups. They are shoe-less school-less the sun is out and so are they. Their parents are all doing different things, some working, one making a cake, another on a business call, someone else is writing. You are not allowed to walk across the veranda you have to ‘swim’ over the rainbow fairies and the small horses. The small ones have turned it in to their ocean and swimming is what has been decreed. Yesterday our son was
This is what I would I have told my worried self about reading and my children about three years ago. One of children was diagnosed with Irlen’s syndrome and so I was very stressed about whether she would be able to read or not. As time went by she did. But here is a letter that I would have liked to have read as worrying  served nothing for me. Dear Lehla, Please stop it, stop worrying about the children’s ability to read. Have more faith in them. You have been