Send him mail. “One Improved Unit” is an original column appearing sporadically on Monday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OIU-only RSS feed available here. Last year (2013) was a good year for me. My kids got older, their parents got wiser, our family grew by…
Tag: children
A Lifetime of Living and Learning
Editor’s Pick. Written by Pam Laricchia. Looking back over our years of unschooling, another big change I’ve seen is that my perspective as a parent has broadened beyond “childhood” to “life”. I no longer see childhood as focused on “learning everything you need to know to become an adult,” with my purpose being to “graduate”…
How Does That Work?
Send her mail. “Balancing on My Toes” is an original column appearing every other Friday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Angel M. Ethell. Angel lives in the Chicagoland area with her family: sons Teen (13) and Lil G (2) along with their little sister Cassie Pie (dog), her partner Daddy G and father-in-law Grandpa G. She loves…
What Did I Value As A Child?
Nobody asked but … I was fascinated by Skyler’s article this week about his wife’s childhood and their discussion of what values might abide in a child’s view of life. This lead me to revisit the belongings and likely belongings of my ancestors, and then to reflect on my own childhood. In 19th century rural…
Why Do We Value Things?
Send him mail. “One Improved Unit” is an original column appearing sporadically on Monday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OIU-only RSS feed available here. My wife grew up relatively poor in Mexico City. She shared a bed with her three sisters and never went…
The Invisible Wall
Send him mail. “Food for Thought” is an original column appearing every other Tuesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Norman Imberman. Norman is a retired podiatrist who loves playing piano, writing music, lawn bowling, bridge, reading, classical music, going to movies, plays, concerts and traveling. He is not a member of any social network, nor does he…
On Children and Play
When your puppy begins chewing on anything and everything, should you begin punishing her and prohibiting her from chewing on things? Dogs clearly have a natural inclination to chew on things. They need to chew. To punish them or prohibit them from doing so is to keep them from fulfilling an evolutionary need. Instead, you…
Don’t Get Addicted to Powerlessness
Wise words from T. K. Coleman, whose blog I read daily: Being a victim is rewarding. It elicits sympathy and attention while insulating us from the challenges that come with taking responsibility for our lives. These rewards, however, come with a cost. The benefits of victimhood can only be procured at the expense of personal…
Santa Claus is not Coming to Town, Actually
Send her mail. “Balancing on My Toes” is an original column appearing every other Friday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Angel M. Ethell. Angel lives in the Chicagoland area with her family: sons Teen (13) and Lil G (2) along with their little sister Cassie Pie (dog), her partner Daddy G and father-in-law Grandpa G. She loves…
On Shelf Elfs
The “Elf on the Shelf” tradition is, unfortunately, growing in popularity. This absurd scheme involves two practices that every family should abandon: lying to your kids; and promising either rewards or punishment for behavior. The former is disrespectful and destructive to the trust needed to build strong relationships, and the latter teaches selfishness and conditional…