Choosing One's Own Opinion
I came to a conclusion last night. I think one of the biggest criticisms of unschooling is one that is often unspoken. I think it's that unschooled students - kids - are allowed to form their own opinion. Parents do not condemn them for thinking differently than the family thinks.
I think of my own two sons. They have very different opinions on many issues in the news today. When there is a news item, we discuss it. We talk about how it affects people. We talk about what the Bible says. We talk about what we feel. Many times, my husband and I have two different perspectives and opinions. My sons think it out and give their opinions. It's all okay. We don't have to think alike.
I do not even think the same way I did ten years ago. I definitely do not think the way I did twenty years ago. My views have changed with my experience. My sons' will as well.
As non-traditional as I am, my ten-year old son is a pretty big traditionalist in many aspects. I often think about this in his movie choices, in his choice of hairstyles, in his favorite colors. (How many times he has pointed out a rating on a movie or video game to me. I have never mentioned ratings nor do I go by them). He would be considered a rough and tumble, hyperactive, "all boy" boy. It's okay. He chooses the person he wants to be.
My twelve-year old, on the other hand, is very non-traditional. He's the kid that got a purse a few years ago - just because he liked it. He didn't care what anyone else thought. He didn't think of it as "girl think." He liked the brown leather with a silver plate designed in the shape of a cowboy gun. So he got it. Today, his favorite colors are pink and blue. He loves to draw and wears his hair long. It's okay, too.
Whatever their opinions and their personal styles, they both have a loving and caring heart. My ten-year old is so sensitive when a person - or any creature - is hurt. He is the first one to jump in and help, even if it's with a kind word of encouragement. He raised a baby bird this past summer and saw another one die. He celebrated the freedom of one and cried for the loss of the other.
My twelve-year old is passionate about how people are treated. Just yesterday, he was telling my sister about a news story in which someone was harmed physically and emotionally because of a law. He raised his voice as he spoke. It began to quiver. He could not believe this person had been hurt so badly by something that should have been made to protect. He exclaimed, "The police had no right to do that. They should be arrested!"
Both have their own way of doing things. That's what unschooling is all about. To me, it's the way it should be.
I think of my own two sons. They have very different opinions on many issues in the news today. When there is a news item, we discuss it. We talk about how it affects people. We talk about what the Bible says. We talk about what we feel. Many times, my husband and I have two different perspectives and opinions. My sons think it out and give their opinions. It's all okay. We don't have to think alike.
I do not even think the same way I did ten years ago. I definitely do not think the way I did twenty years ago. My views have changed with my experience. My sons' will as well.
As non-traditional as I am, my ten-year old son is a pretty big traditionalist in many aspects. I often think about this in his movie choices, in his choice of hairstyles, in his favorite colors. (How many times he has pointed out a rating on a movie or video game to me. I have never mentioned ratings nor do I go by them). He would be considered a rough and tumble, hyperactive, "all boy" boy. It's okay. He chooses the person he wants to be.
My twelve-year old, on the other hand, is very non-traditional. He's the kid that got a purse a few years ago - just because he liked it. He didn't care what anyone else thought. He didn't think of it as "girl think." He liked the brown leather with a silver plate designed in the shape of a cowboy gun. So he got it. Today, his favorite colors are pink and blue. He loves to draw and wears his hair long. It's okay, too.
Whatever their opinions and their personal styles, they both have a loving and caring heart. My ten-year old is so sensitive when a person - or any creature - is hurt. He is the first one to jump in and help, even if it's with a kind word of encouragement. He raised a baby bird this past summer and saw another one die. He celebrated the freedom of one and cried for the loss of the other.
My twelve-year old is passionate about how people are treated. Just yesterday, he was telling my sister about a news story in which someone was harmed physically and emotionally because of a law. He raised his voice as he spoke. It began to quiver. He could not believe this person had been hurt so badly by something that should have been made to protect. He exclaimed, "The police had no right to do that. They should be arrested!"
Both have their own way of doing things. That's what unschooling is all about. To me, it's the way it should be.
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