Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Unschooled children live in the real world every day.
Think of it this way:
When your child is born, they cannot walk. Do you put them in a school to learn to walk? No, you don't. You watch, wait, help if they need a hand, but you cannot and do not teach them to walk (unless you have a special needs child who needs specialized help).
Do you teach them to talk? No, you talk to them, you expose them to speaking, but you don't send them to school to learn to speak (unless you have a special needs child who needs specialized help)
Many of us contend that children also learn to read best when they are exposed to books, read to and taught only if they want to learn and are interested in doing so. The same is true of math skills. These kids will learn when they are ready and have a need for learning.
Children come into the world curious and wanting to learn as much as they can.
This is just so disturbing, it sounds like something that should be addressed on the Dr. Phil show. Those poor children, they are going to be psychologically damaged and not understand why the rest of the world thinks they are so weird. The truth is that one day they will have to function in society and they aren't being given the adequate tools to do so. They are not being given a proper education, not being appropriately socialized and will probably have a very hard time being successful. I have actually seen this being addressed before by professionals, and it mostly has to do with the insecurities that the parents feel. It can be categorized as a psychological attachment disorder. They are keeping their children in their beds because it's easier for them, it makes them feel better emotionally, with no regard to the devastation it has on the child's development. Not to mention it's extremely creepy at the age of 7 to be sleeping with your adult parent. This is borderline inappropriate and child services might be interested in what exactly is going on. Of course everyone has the "right" to raise their children however they feel like it, but that is why so many children end up with crippling mental and psychological problems.
People can do whatever they want, but I don't understand someone who would want to handicap their child in such a way. This is how society is going to view them, like someone else said, it tends not to be kind to anomalies and extremes.
Lol! If co-sleeping "psychologically damages" and "mentally handicaps" children then how do you explain the history of mankind? Children sleeping alone in their own rooms is a fairly recent phenomenon and is not even that common of a practice worldwide. There is nothing creepy or inappropriate about a child sleeping next to their mother or father.
I have a bit of an issue with some of my friends....my family and i co sleep. I'm have 2, 7 year old twins girls and a 5 year old boy and we all sleep every night in a bed soft comfy bed along with the hubby. The children actually do have their own rooms for privacy and sometimes they do sleep in them, but for the most part they tendto snuggle up with us every night. The are very well adjusted smart kids with no anxiety issues i can see or seperation problems so i thought this was no issue as this is something both my hubby and i were raised like. Well until i mentioned to a group of moms at a book club and every one of the 10 gave me the "what are you thinking glance". I got the argument "your kids will be whiny" "they will never learn to leave the nest" "you must have no sex life" the last of which is far from true . Am i nuts though to think what we are doing is okay? Or am i really doing something wrong here?
Could not disagree more! Walking and talking are 2 natural things. Things that do not need to be taught but are needed for survival. Math, reading, history, philosophy etc. are all things that need to be taught.
I'm going to go there....the cosleeping at these kids ages is weird and creepy and lazy enough. Now let's add that they some times have sex in the bed when they are "lazy". NOW add in the fact that those kids aren't exposed to normal people and are being unschooled , my GOD! How is it even legal to "raise" kids like that in 2010?!
You are conflating two issues.
Unschooling and cosleeping don't necessarily go together and cosleeping parents don't usually cosleep with children older than 5 or 6.
Someone asked about the unschooling which was why I posted the video.
As for math and reading, they are truly best learned hands on and most children actually learn them naturally just as they learn to walk and talk *if* they are exposed to hands on activities.
I learned to read before I went to school and so did my grandchildren. They are not *brilliant* either.
Math is learned when you cook, when you make things, when you actually get your hands dirty. Kids don't have to be schooled to learn them.
History and philosophy will also be learned from going places and from reading once a child learns to read. If you read Lies My Teacher Told Me, you will see that history as taught in school is actually not the best way to learn. As for philosophy, there are many different schools of philosophy and most of them are NOT taught until you get to college.
Unschooled and homeschooled kids often take college classes that happen to interest them.
Well, most of the people I know have jobs that are beyond waiting tables and DO use things like algebra every day. I think that most "attacks" aren't really attacks but people that live in the real world and have to deal with kids that were "unschooled"...
I doubt that many adults in the "real world" have encountered unschoolers since unschoolers make up a tiny percentage of the population. I think that people attack the idea of it because it's so far outside of the box of how most people view education.
We generally cuddle up with the kids around 9 to watch some tv and they doze off...and when they are we get up and spend some time together . Then maybe hit the bed around midnight or 1.
Regarding the co sleeping thing, obviously do whatever you want for your family.... But be prepared for the reactions you got from the other mothers and on here. If not prepared for that or you don't want to defend it, then the best advise is to not ever bring it up.
As far as what is learned in school. Yes, parents need to teach their kids common sense and real life. But there are things that can be learned in school that go beyond the basics.
For example; how to deal with other people, how to work in groups with people who have different styles of doing things, how to deal with a teacher you might not like, how to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. All of which translate well later on when you have a job and coworkers and bosses.
Some things will have to be taught of course....but the basics is all most people know, lets be honest with ourselves here.
Well, most of the people I know have jobs that are beyond waiting tables and DO use things like algebra every day. I think that most "attacks" aren't really attacks but people that live in the real world and have to deal with kids that were "unschooled"...
Really most people don't however use such things in life. The majority of people in this society don't do anything with algebra or calculus or trig, so if you don't need it what purpose does it serve to learn it hmmmm?
What about waiting tables gave you insight into how ready kids are for the real world?
I worked at a family restaraunt with a lot of high school and college kids working there. My point was that i was exposed to them and could tell you they weren't ready. When you have to tell a group of 20 year old girls not to pour water on the light socket over and over....and they still do it.... and wonder blankly why it is a big deal.....does that qualify someone for being ready to tackle life?
Really most people don't however use such things in life. The majority of people in this society don't do anything with algebra or calculus or trig, so if you don't need it what purpose does it serve to learn it hmmmm?
Depends on what you want to do for a living.
Plenty of careers do use these things. Even if they don't use them everyday, the process of learning something is an important process. Many many colleges require advanced math to even be considered. That in itself is a good reason. Now, if you have no interest in college or the type of career that expects that, then I guess to some extent you are correct. I just wouldn't choose to limit my child before he/she could make that decision himself.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Am i nuts though to think what we are doing is okay? Or am i really doing something wrong here?
Unschooling
, my GOD! How is it even legal to "raise" kids like that in 2010?!
. Then maybe hit the bed around midnight or 1.
