Memories and Connection

I was gone to Layton, Utah, for Mother’s Day weekend for a special occasion. My dad’s siblings had planned a surprise 90th birthday celebration/Mother’s Day commemoration for their mother, my only living grandparent. The highlight was to be that all seven siblings would come together (which hasn’t happened in about 20 years, I think). I wasn’t about to miss that moment!

As my gift to my grandmother, I decided it would be fun to print my entire blog out for her (including my posts as an author at Life Without School) because I’ve only been able to see my grandmother maybe up to 10 times in my life. I hoped that she still read and I know she would be interested, if so, because she was a writer of sorts herself and had always been pleased to hear of my writing ventures. So, as I was printing one out for her, I did one for myself. So, now I can rest easy that all my thoughts, ideas, and moments will not be lost in cyberspace accidentally.

I also got to thinking about journaling. I’ve always wanted to do that, and in our church, we strongly encourage record keeping of this sort as a means of genealogy and helping in Elijah’s mission of “turning the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to their children.” I’ve always wondered why I’ve struggled in this department. Well, as I realized a while ago that writing is an introverted activity, and I’m an extravert, duh, journaling is an introverted writing activity. Ah, but blogging has allowed me a venue as an extravert journal writing activity!

Here’s a picture of the finished blog compilation (with a cover created by my daughter):

And here was my inspiration, my Grandma Draney, with hubby and I:


She was not feeling well (can’t you tell!) because of chronic pain from many things, including an unoperated hernia, scheduled for tomorrow (postponed until after the party in case she doesn’t make it through due to a pacemaker and age). Well, four of the priesthood holders in attendance (my hubby being one of them) gave her a blessing and within a few hours, she mentioned that she hadn’t felt that well in at least a year (thanks be to a gracious Heavenly Father). So, later on (unfortunately, after all the pictures), she looked a lot better!

Here’s a picture of the Draney boys (Jerry-my dad/2nd born, Dale/3rd born, and Elwyn-Ed/1st born):

Here’s a picture of the Draney girls (Donna/6th born, Lori/7th born, Carol/5th born, and Diane/4th born):Alcohol depression is very severe plus should not be single’s phase of a dwelling, nevertheless simply what people are going to get over this type of despair could possibly be quite challenging by means of http://appalachianmagazine.com/2019/12/27/mountain-church-traditions-watchnight-service/ purchase cialis online generic.

Here are the siblings together with Grandma:

Here is a picture of the siblings and their spouses:

And here is a four generation picture of my Grandma, my dad, myself, and my nephew, Sebastian (that my parents are raising . . . a brother’s son):

It was a fabulous day of connection: laughing, crying, sharing, renewing, learning of each other, loving. So many felt so at ease in the setting and we all agreed it was because the Spirit was so strong there.

I love you, Grandma!

The Horrible Irony of it . . .

So, after recently posting about living without fear, crime and tragedy hits our quiet little country lane last night. Two neighbors, four and five houses away from us, respectively, apparently have had difficulties with each other; mainly, the fifth neighbor toward the fourth neighbor (the fifth neighbor having a history of this type of unneighborly conduct wherever he lives, as well as alcohol abuse). So, while the man of the fourth house is out of state, the fifth neighbor takes the fourth neighbor family hostage. Yep, that’s right, a hostage situation with a gun down the street from us. Four hostages; all of them shot (a teen boyfriend, a teen girl, and the stepmother); one more seriously (a young teen boy and I don’t know how he’s doing today yet). The police were able to finally get a clear shot of the hostage taker and shot and killed him. The boyfriend had escaped to get the police involved to begin with, and he had released the stepmother and daughter, but they had to get to the boy still after they were able to kill him.

My prayers are out to the family.

Crime had also touched us at the old neighborhood. Our direct neighbor had locked his hunting rifle in his truck late one night after hunting, and that evening, someone smashed the window and stole it. When the police came out that night, they had their tracking dogs, and the dogs picked up a scent that went through our yard, next to our cars, and then to the neighbors, and then out the back field. He was not caught.
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However, I stand beside my choice to not raise my children in fear. I equip them with good sense, and then I let them live. This world is not always pretty. I know that going into it. This is actually why we left the old neighborhood. My feelings are if I’m going to be hassled by a neighbor, I’m leaving. So, we did. I didn’t worry about physical harm, but emotional harm. These neighbors up the street had been physically threatened before and there was a restraining order. The father decided to stand his ground. I’m not sure what they’ll decide now.

Bad things do happen whether one decides to choose to live without fear, or to those who choose to live in fear. I accept that, even though it sucks. Life still has much good to offer.

Don’t Get Me Started . . .

A great site called Free Range Kids helps me feel right at home in how I think about raising my children. I found this link at The Learning Umbrella from her post called Do Your Children Get Enough Danger.

Here is a quote from the site:

Another mom castigated me for my irresponsibility and proudly said that she doesn’t even let her daughter go to the mailbox in her upscale Atlanta neighborhood. There’s just too much “opportunity” for the girl to be snatched and killed. To her, I’m the crazy mom.

I just moved from a neighborhood like the one described here in Atlanta. Here’s a general picture of it with its nicely manicured lawns and matching Bartlett pear trees and white mailboxes. (Funny story: When we first moved in, we were “required” to purchase the matching mailbox signage at the price of $75. I refused for several months because of the overpriced conformity. They didn’t know what to do with me. Good thing I didn’t require the whole mailbox; that would have been $300!)

Anyway, a few months prior to us finding the perfect country home to move to, we were officially complained against by an anonymous neighbor. The charges:

She lets her children go barefoot; sometimes even in the winter. Guilty.

She lets her children climb dangerous things. Guilty.

She lets her children ride their bikes in the road. Guilty.

She lets her children near the pond. Guilty.

She lets her autistic children near the road. Guilty.

It’s crazy it even had to be investigated. My sin? Not being a “helicopter mother”, hovering over her children at all times, like everyone else does in the neighborhood.

The dangerous things referred to were maybe our tall front tree, but probably the idea that we let them climb into any construction equipment that is nearby under our supervision. We feel it is better to let them do these things with us then sneak and do them without us.

Tractor boys:

Sometimes, they get lucky:

Taking the controls:

Going up:

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The road they ride their bikes on and that my children with autism (yep, I don’t keep them caged!) are near is a cul-de-sac in front of our house. When I discussed this with one neighbor, she felt that I should always be watching them. I do keep tabs out the window, but it wasn’t good enough from her perspective. Of course, she admitted to not knowing how to parent seven children . . . ah, yeah.

Needless to say, moving to 15 acres in the country has been a freeing experience for all of us! No more neighbors deciding what is right for my children (considering none of the things listed above was illegal), and letting my boys grow up free range. I don’t want fear to dictate their childhoods. Here’s a picture of what our view is out our front door:

To take people back to when I first made a conscientious decision about raising my children free range, as I was raised, I share these quotes from the above site:

Not that facts make any difference. Somehow, a whole lot of parents are just convinced that nothing outside the home is safe. At the same time, they’re also convinced that their children are helpless to fend for themselves. While most of these parents walked to school as kids, or hiked the woods — or even took public transportation — they can’t imagine their own offspring doing the same thing.

I noticed this especially when we moved to the neighborhood I referenced above eight years ago. There was such fear and for a moment, I was going to get sucked into it. I remember when the actual decision came for me to make. My only daughter came to me and let me know that she was going to take her dog and explore in the woods across the neighborhood, and she would be back. She wasn’t asking, but letting me know because it never occurred to her that it wouldn’t be okay. But I hesitated and asked her to hold on a minute. She had justed turned 11 years old.

Fear told me to say no, but as I have been known to do throughout my parenting and unschooling life, I questioned that reaction. And, it was a reaction. I recalled my carefree days as a child. I knew I had equipped my children with intelligent wariness, but not fear. Was there a middle ground with this? So, I decided right then and there that I wanted my children to have fun and adventurous childhoods, without fear, but equipped with awareness. I asked her for two things: One was to always let me know where she would be and about when she would be home. The other was to be aware of any non-resident people (there were a lot of houses being built with many construction vehicles and other personnel all the time) being aware of her comings and goings and simply take another route into the woods if she saw this type of “stranger”.

She did this exploring for several years without incident, without fear, but with awareness. She has EXTREMELY fond memories of that time insomuch that when we were going to leave the area, she documented the area she called “Mye Creek”.

Now, we have 15 acres, 10 in woods, creeks, critters, etc. that beckon my two youngest. Do I limit them, or equip them with awareness and enjoy their adventures related each day? I say the latter. I ask that they stay within calling distance, but if they want to venture further out, to take walkie talkies, leaving one with me. Admittedly, these two are still learning, and they tend to act in the moment and disappear for an hour or two at a time. But, if we can’t enjoy our own chosen “relatively safe” property, then where can we?

I end with this quote:

They have lost confidence in everything: Their neighborhood. Their kids. And their own ability to teach their children how to get by in the world. As a result, they batten down the hatches.

I understand there are always risks, but they are calculated. I won’t raise my children in fear. I chose the educational method I use because I wanted to continue the trust and respect we enjoy as a family, and I raise my children in the same vein; because I DO have confidence in our ability to collaborate in learning what is needed to get by in this world.

Oh, oh, driving cars may have to go on the sin roll . . . LOL!:

Alex is on his way . . .

Alex is 13 years old now and has been working through the Collaborative Learning Stage, as I describe the rhythm of our unschooling cycles, since around 11.5 years old. This is never an easy stage as the children transition from a more relaxed, interest-based environment (seeking their passion) to learning more about goal setting and self-discipline (purpose). With Alex living with autism, it made the transition just a bit bumpier.

I’m so excited to announce that . . . Alex has arrived! Woohoo! We started off like I always do with my children at this stage . . . one or two subjects and working side by side with them. Together, we find resources that work for him. Actually, Abbey was the person who first did this with Alex back when he was somewhere between 11 and 11.5, and they worked together like this for maybe 6 months.

I believe a break occurred, and then I started working with him one-on-one, shifting things around to encourage transitioning into independence. It was always hit and miss at doing the formality, so it was maybe done twice a week, and lasted an hour or two. At a certain point, I didn’t think my current thinking would transfer to independence, so I started looking.

I went to a GIFTS-NC conference last year and picked up what looked like a good idea, if I could modify it to what would work for us. It was what I would call a “better” TEACCH box system. I thought and thought how I could modify it and came up with a good plan. Alex tried it starting just before 13, but he felt it was too overwhelming for him. He started calling “homeschooling time” the “H” word . . . LOL!

So, we took another break and he shared with me what he needed. He said he still needed someone to be with him as he did things. At the same time, Abbey, Alex’s big sister, was able to begin formally working with him through procured state services one-on-one in our home for four hours a day. He was excited as we shared with him what he would be able to do: things like creating his own stories with support, learning computer skills to further his car and other interests, earning money through chores, expanding his understanding through readings and vocabulary work, etc. All of this would be done by creatively interweaving his interests as the process toward worthy products.

Well, about two months into that, I started adjusting the box system and having his older brother sit with him (who wanted to earn some money, too). It didn’t work, adjust, it didn’t work, adjust, it did work! There still seemed to be resistance, though. Then, one day, about three weeks ago, it all started to come together. All the social and emotional and behavioral conversations that were happening with his sister in their “therapy hours” was transferring over into his formal work.

Alex actually started to come and REQUEST his homeschooling. He collaborated with me about adjusting it once again to work exactly the way that is right for him, how often, and when, and the boy is doing it all independently (as he dropped wanting Eric to help him). He does four activities each day, he learned to keep focused (something he had a hard time with) through using a timer, but dropped that after only a week or two, and he learned that he didn’t have to panic if he didn’t understand something, nor did he need someone right next to him to avoid the panic, but all he needed to do is come ask for help. It takes him about an hour to complete.
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So, he’s approaching 13.5 years old and are right about on target for what I say typically happens in this timeframe. It just takes that long to transition, find what works for everyone, and then success. I am already anticipating the next stage of Gift Focus Stage as we are gearing up to match him with apprentices in mechanics. We’ve been trying to put it together and it has been slow going, but I see it happening by 14, so . . .

It’s always so exciting!

Here’s some pictures of Alex doing his homeschooling. He prefers the side porch, and you see his big brother still likes to come along and “spar” with him, literally and figuratively (they love to verbally spar good-humoredly with each other):

Children First

Elsie, at Elsie and Joe Deluxe, wrote a post called Keep Those Systems Off My Kids. I enjoyed the topic and it reminded me of a VERY important point about how I homeschool my children. She says this at the very end of the post:

But I am equally sure that there are teachers who slavishly follow the precepts of their chosen philosophies, to the point where they don’t even see the children in front of them. I might even say that there are more slavish followers than there are creative thinkers in these systems. I might even be pushed into saying that it is the very creation of a system of education that gives birth to slavish followers.

This is also very true of homeschooling philosophies, which she touches on throughout this post. But I really like how she summarizes that “the very creation of a system of education” or philosophy of education “gives birth to slavish followers”. This means, to me, that the philosophy becomes the end all to the purpose of learning. Unschooling is a prime example of this potentiality. There are as many ways to define unschooler as there are unschoolers, and plenty to go around of those who will tell you if you are “unschooling enough” to be considered one. To me, this misses the entire point, particularly of my view on unschooling.

First, let me share with you a Growing Without School letter I wrote in (and it was published in the November/December, 1997 Issue 119) to make my initial point:

I am writing in response to the letter from Carolyn Ellis in the Challenges and Concerns section of GWS #117. Carolyn’s struggle over accepting her daughter Mary’s learning style and her subsequent “reassurance” that her “other children are still happy unschoolers” raised my philosophical questioning nature again. It made me wonder what the definition of unschooling is.

My definition (at this moment) is following the lead of my child, whether it be in interests or in learning style, and giving respect thereto. I know that many definitions of unschooling include allowing a child to learn in his natural environment and context (learning fractions from cooking, measuring from building, science in the backyard, etc.) as well as learning out in the real world (volunteering, apprenticing, working, etc.). However, as Carolyn discovered about her daughter Mary and as I have certainly discovered about some of my own children, not every child enjoys learning in that hands-on way — or, as in the case of my son Adam, may be limited by neurological biology (autism) in his ability to learn naturally from his environment. And how about a child who in his elementary school years enjoyed learning in natural contexts but subsequently chooses a substantial increase in structure? Are all of these learners not considered unschoolers now?

I believe we would be doing a grave disservice to the origins of unschooling if we defined it as a particular learning style such as “real-world learning.” Wouldn’t that make us just as guilty as traditional schooling of implying that one style is better than another? With such a belief, the educator or facilitator will always be trying to correct, impose, or direct the learner toward this supposedly optimal style, even if it is not the style to which the child naturally inclines.

I declare myself an unschooler even though my daughter Abbey loves workbooks and my son Adam has to be taught most things in a highly structured manner. I say this because I am respecting their need to learn in the way that works best for them. I would declare an older homeschooler who decides to become much more structured in learning an unschooler because she is respecting her ability to know what she needs and wants at each stage of her life. I would declare Carolyn’s daughter Mary an unschooler because she refused to be forced to abandon her learning nature. Carolyn finally was able to respect Mary’s right to be who she was, thus accepting her learning style as viable. What Carolyn may not have figured out yet is that Mary’s learning preference is not a lesser form compared to her other children’s preference for learning from the activities that fit her definition of unschooling.

Is unschooling an educational philosophy or just another learning style that some kids will be grouped into? If it is the first, then I am an unschooler. If it is the latter, than I must call myself a self-led learner with an interest-based curriculum. This way, I could be any type of learner that my nature or desires incline me to be. What other names would represent this educational philosophy: freedom learner? self-determinator? self-learner? autodidact? (My note: I think people call themselves “eclectic” these days to mean what I’m talking about here.)

To summarize my own point in all this, I take another quote from a comment back at Elsie’s blog from Anthromama that states beautifully:

I recall from my Waldorf teaching foundation year that the recommendation was for the teacher (and this would also apply to homeschool parents, I would think) to prep their hearts out, reading about child development and observation, reading about curriculum development,etc….and then essentially letting it all go in the moment with the children. Letting all of the prep be the invisible and somewhat unconscious foundation for what happens in the moment.

I happen to say this same type of thing ALL the time about the various labels available to describe difficulties or learning styles or temperaments. It is the same for my educational philosophy of unschooling. I would research and read and compare and note and contemplate from all the sources I could find and then, and this is the important part, I would file it all away in my brain for any future moment I might find myself at any given time with a child that I might be able to recall something that might be useful in that moment.purchase at unica-web.com cheapest levitra These are accessible in the form 100mg packages in the drug markets which can be bought from the market or from online health stores.

In other words, it’s common for someone to get a label, even a good one like a right-brained, creative learner (which is a positive descriptor), or grasp hold of an educational philosophy, like unschooling, read up all about it, begin to understand it, and then take all that information and apply it on the front end to each situation as it arises. For instance, I have heard someone who has come to understand the creative learner attributes and preferred resources, and then ask, “Is this a creative learner resource? Can I use it?” To me, that is putting up roadblocks to the access of all information and opportunities. Instead, what one can use the information for is something like this:

I observe my child building with Legos for hours. “Should I allow him to play like that for so long and not do something productive?” I access the good information about the creative learner and discover that I found out that this is one of the many creative outlets preferred by this learner and that, in actuality, this process and experience and resource is a foundational element to their gift development of spatial abilities. So, I respond to my own question: “Of course I should allow it. I should even encourage it by bringing in more opportunities and resources of a similar vein. Wow! Look how he’s creating his own contraptions bringing in various parts of others he had previously built. What great visualization abilities which I remember reading is how they learn certain subjects later on.”

The reason this is so important is that it simply begins one’s journey in trusting yourself as the parent/facilitator and trusting the child as a learner. When some of this information challenges one’s conditioned beliefs about what learning is supposed to look like, and one sees how what we observe our children naturally gravitating to matches up to this new and better information, we can truly start allowing the children to come first. No matter how good the information, if we prioritize that in front of, on top of, or over what our children are showing us, we miss the opportunity to create a space for that child to truly unfold into their unique selves.

My job, as a parent facilitator, is to first, observe, trust, and give value to what emanates from my child and feed into more of that. Second, it is to use some of that good information I collect about my child’s learning style or temperament or differences and provide more opportunities and available resources that might be found useful by the child. And, last, to bring in healthy mentoring that my experiences and wisdom garner in any given moment or situation or circumstance that the child might find helpful along their own path.

So, to conclude, gathering good information about learning styles, temperaments, timeframes, educational philosophies, difficulties, is good, but:

Children First.

To me, this develops the trust that we are unique individuals.

Science in Action

Warning: Not for the faint of heart Embarassed

How could a good unschooler resist documenting the birth of kittens? Not us! We decided to take in a pregnant mother cat that had been hanging around our church for a while now. She is really sweet, and a good mommy.

The children were SO excited to be able to witness the experience. It happened on Thursday, April 24, 2008, starting around 7:00 p.m., when Missy (the name we think we’ve chosen for the momma) started acting strange and headed for a tight place. Luckily, I was able to convince her to birth in a laundry basket with her bed in the tub.

So, here’s the entire experience of the birth of Kitten #2 (an orange like her mommy):

Crowning:

Emergence:

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Cutting the Cord, and Taking care of the placenta:

Nourishment:

The full litter of four beautiful kittens (one black with orange/white, one gray with orange, one orange, and one tan/white or light orange):

Having a Voice and the Power of Words

Over at Woodstone Prairie, Maura wrote about the discrimination of the mentally disabled, as well as the common word usages in the same category used flippantly to describe negative attributes.  Interestingly, both just recently were part of a conversation as well as an experience today (again).

I was gone for the weekend with four of my children getting to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow unschoolers at a weekend camp at a sound on the coast of North Carolina here in the state we live.  It’s a group called Families Learning Together that has been around for a while here in North Carolina, and for which I have become a part over the past few years.  They have two camps a year:  one in the fall and one in the spring, at various camp locations across North Carolina (usually YMCA types or church camps, etc., where you can rent the entire facility).  They are starting to add a winter gathering.  There are usually around 100 people of all ages and this past weekend, there were four families with children with autism there.

I had a particularly good time connecting with a mother of two, Carissa, in which we enjoyed sharing similar experiences of many attributes of our families being “different”.  One particular conversation I had was about the idea that it’s the mentally disabled that are the most discriminated about strictly for the fact that they really have no voice.  As an example, I brought up the realization that before the Jews were persecuted during the Holocaust, all the disabled people were killed.  But nobody talks about that, or for them.  Though it was horrendous what happend to the Jews, they have a voice to be remembered and seek consolation or vindication.  Anyway . . . I agree with Maura on this point.
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And, just this morning, during an early morning scripture study class, some of the youth referred to each other or themselves as “retards”.  I like to take the opportunity, particularly with this age group, to create awareness on their part, as most of this language is just said without realizing what they are actually saying.  I’ll say something like, “You know, one should think about the words they use, because they may be in the presence of someone who has a mentally retarded child.”  Since they all know about Adam, they usually quickly apologize, and I hope, find more awareness.  I think change begins with the youth . . .

I try not to take it personally, but educate.  But, sometimes, it is tiring to always be in that role.  So, again, I’m there with Maura on this one.

Lego Mentorship

I came home yesterday and heard some instructional talk coming from behind the couch, which is William’s “quiet time area”. Hhmmm, what’s going on? I was excited to discover this:

I was excited for several reasons. First, there was a time when Eli eagerly sought out “pupils” for Lego instruction (and other related building materials) when he was about 11-12 years old. At the time, there were no takers. Now that he’s (recently) turned 17, he is not as interested in giving in this manner as he is so engrossed in his own passion pursuits (namely, computer programming). So, the fact that he was giving patiently of his time to his younger brother was exciting.

Second, there have been many attempts on my part to offer William, through his interests of castles and knights, to build the same with various building materials. Because of his learning differences, it was always WAY over his head to comprehend the spatial ability to do so. He always begged favor of Eli to construct any of these things for him. Further, starting when he was 3-4 years old, I began to slowly help him develop some visual-spatial abilities. Because he is a creative, right-brained learner, I knew this was intended to be a gift area that had been hindered by something, so I hoped to tap into it some way or another. He had a difficult time, to begin with, even placing blocks in the same location as myself. It took some time to build up imitating a two block construction, and he was only able to do so three-dimensionally, from a real person. He had to work up to having me hide my creation and then duplicating as well as duplicating it from a picture. Eventually, William was able to construct 7-8 block creations both in imitation and by picture.

Because Eli was a huge builder, we have all sorts of types of building material, but William has not gravitated to it, though I’ve seen interest, but because of his inability, he stayed away. Periodically, he gave it a try, but discontinued fairly quickly.
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So, to have William not only doing a difficult Lego creation was exciting, but the perseverance I was witnessing was next to extraordinary for him. He has always been one easily frustrated and always ready to quit (which I’ve worked gently but consistently on), so his sticking with it, even eagerly, and also patiently listening to Eli’s oral instructions, another weakness for him (as is for Eli), continued my amazement. Maybe because Eli struggles with verbals makes it a great match for William in how he explains things along with visuals and explanations of how he perceives spatially (one of Eli’s major gifts).

Anyway, after 2-3 several hour long sessions, this was the “product”:

By the way, notice William’s “outfit” . . . he is being a referee (his great right-brained asset is his imagination, displayed through self character and costuming creations) 🙂

Faith and Unschooling

At the beginning of the year, when I was reading various blog posts, I came across some great thoughts over at Loving Him 4 Ever. Interestingly, as I went to look up the reference, it appears a break has occurred for the blog author since writing this post. I hope there is more to come! Anyway, here is an excerpt that particularly caught my attention:

I’d like to share some things I believe God has given me recently.

The first thing was Deut 6:6-7…

6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up

This speaks to me that we are to bring our children alongside of us as we live life and they will be mentored and learn from us…there will be an impartation of our spirit into theirs…but is comes thru relationship with them..a good, solid, loving relationship with them…one where they can trust us to love them unconditionally…

Two weeks ago today, William was baptized by his older brother.

Afterward, his father (and my hubby of almost 23 years!) confirmed William a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and bestowed upon him the gift of the Holy Ghost by the power of the priesthood which he bears.

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Almost right after the lovely gathering dispersed, William excitedly approached me and asked, “Do I get to have my own scriptures now!?” It was very interesting for several reasons. One was that I had not discussed this as any “rite of passage” or anything before obtaining your own scriptures, so I wonder why he associated it as such. However, in the past, that is when the children have typically taken up owning and carrying their own scriptures (though he has two older brothers who don’t do so; therefore, it isn’t a given). Second, was how eager he was to obtain his own scriptures (this from a boy who LOVES presents that are toy driven, yet this is so spiritual driven, and he doesn’t read yet).

So, it got me to thinking about this passage that I found above as well as the post that I wrote over at Life Without School a while ago found here. I do things quite a bit differently as it pertains to how I share my faith with my children, and all the attributes that go with that. For instance, it is common to start very young with children to pray alongside them so they “grow up with it”; therefore, they will continue with it as they are older. The same could be said of owning and carrying one’s scriptures from a young age, whether they can read or not, just to create a “habit.”

I didn’t do that with my children. Instead, I did as the scripture above indicates: I lived and spoke of it, in my home and outside of my home, as I awoke and as I went to sleep, as I walked and as I lay; it incorporates every aspect of my life. What I found was that my children each came to desire it for themselves when they were old enough to make that choice and recognize the value in it. I saw it with prayer, scripture study, serving a mission, Sabbath Day observance, and all the other myriad of goodly things to seek after.

In our church, there is an “age of accountability” whereby people are old enough to know right from wrong, make correct choices, and understand the consequences of actions. That age is 8. William actually turned 9 years old the day after his baptism. With his learning difficulties, I felt another year was in order and that proved to be of benefit as I saw him really embrace for himself his own desire for the important saving ordinance of baptism.

Interestingly, it is often found through brain research that the ages of 8-10 years is formative in the ability to discern, learn, and assimilate. Many of my children are right-brained learners, William included, and it is not until this age that many higher level thinking abilities emerge. The previous years are ones of building a foundation that will create so much of what will be needed for the proceeding years of growth and understanding. I see this both with academia as well as spirituality. You can include emotional and physical in there as well, from my vantage point. Pretty cool, really. It’s just another testament of the Truth that I live.

Collecting Articles About College, Unschooling, and Success

I currently have two adult children, by society’s standards and their age identification process. My oldest recently turned 21, and my next will be 19 at the beginning of summer. Both have been unschooled all their lives. Both have found their passions. Both are working out their purpose.

Abbey, my only daughter, and the person who will be 19 this summer, is a fantasy writer. She has been dedicating full time hours to this pursuit for several years or more now. When college came up, at first, she considered it, but quickly thereafter, upon looking at the process of pursuing it and the sacrifices involved for the product promised, she immediately stated ‘you’ve raised us to question the status of learning traditionally, why should I embrace it now? I’m going to look into my alternatives’. She is doing just that.

Interestingly, the only reason she keeps the possibility of college on her consideration plate is because that’s where all her peers are, and she wants the opportunity to date and be married. She figures she may have to go where she can find lots of people in the same pursuit. Lately, she’s questioning the reasoning again. Just like the 3-18 age range, it DOES take more creativity to find one’s social outlet when the choice is to not engage in the institution that segregates these ages away from real life.

My oldest, Eric, just turned 21, is trying to decide which of his many interests and talents would be best to pursue in lieu of his recent realization that college is not for him. He stumbled on a site that was searching for voice actors for a fan-made radio drama that he auditioned for and received the part. This is an area he’s considered off and on for some years now. He’s also considering writing manga. He figures he will find other employment to support himself until his pursuits are realized in a way that he can independently exist. He originally had liked the idea of Japanese history, but figured it can be incorporated into these other areas as well as simply enjoying it for its own benefit.

It makes full sense that always unschooled people would continue that path as adults. I was able to listen to a panel of grown unschoolers at the Rethinking Education conference last September, and most had foregone college. All were finding their way based on what was important to them. That’s what I’m seeing in my children. They don’t know any other way than to exhibit silent resolve that they will make their way.

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So, I find myself needing to gather articles for my own continued deconditioning during this phase of life. Boy, I thought the kindergarten transition was tough; the adulthood transition is tougher out there with all the expectations for this stage in our society and all the underlying definitions of success. So, I revisit my original goals for unschooling: Encourage my children to find work they love so they don’t have to work a day in their lives. And, so the journey continues. And, they DO love their lives . . . today. They have loved their childhoods. And they expect to love their adulthoods. How many can say that?

The article I found by Alfie Kohn at the blog of LIFE with Granola *Girl* fits this well. It’s found here. Of course, the outspoken John Taylor Gatto is always a go-to guy when it comes to these matters, and Life Learning Magazine recently published his “A Letter To My Granddaughter” about “Don’t Worry About College”. And, while I was reading over at Life Learning Magazine, I found Sarabeth Matilsky’s article “Redefining Success” that I felt would resonate with my children.

I’m just beginning my journey in my search for inspirational articles and like-minded people in the same stage, so I’m open to hearing other recommendations from any of you who have found some good ones! Of course, my own journey started some years ago, when my oldest led me to unschooling in the first place. He hinted at unschooling continuing into adulthood when I wrote this, and this, so it is simply time for me to fully embrace what it all means and offers in our continued joyful living path!