Radical Parenting Part 1

I watched a show the other night called "Radical Parenting" that I wanted to share about. There were three families that the show followed. I will share what the family does, then my take on this, then what we can learn from this. The first was "Un-schooling".

This family of four had one boy, about 5, and one girl, about 4. They have decided not to put their children in school and not to home school. The children will learn through experience. There is no discipline in the home, and no one is put in a place of authority. The children can eat, sleep, bathe, and play when and where they choose to. Surprisingly, the children seemed well behaved. So there must be some gentle instruction going on there. The parents want the children to enjoy life as much as possible, and they believe that the children will have the same potential in life as schooled children.

OK... my take? This would be wonderful to keep your child home from school and play all day every day. But is that preparing your child for the real world? Where things don't always go their way? Where discipline and rules are a part of everyday life? I don't think so!! Children need to learn how to follow rules. I have to follow rules every day at work. I think these children are in for some hard times in the future when they go either to college or to work.

What we can learn: I do think that schools push kids too hard sometimes. Do kindergarteners really need to read, write, and do math? Do preschoolers need to be pushed so hard into learning to read? I say no. I've thought about not putting Boo in preschool if I am a SAHM at that time and letting him have that year to play and learn at home. I think there are cases where home schooling may be a good option, if a child needs more attention or is not getting what they need in school. I personally think that children should all have to go at least to high school. If you can deal with high school, you can deal with the real world!