Just living and learning
Thinking of unschooling your PDA child? Congratulations and fasten your seatbelt! You may well be embarking on the most challenging, frustrating, joyful and healing journey of your life. And, if your child is not diagnosed PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), but school has been/would be a bad fit for them, this post is for you too.... Continue Reading →
Do you find yourself struggling to keep calm when things get challenging? Conflict is a normal part of any family's life and if well-managed, can be the source of much valuable learning for life. But, it can also be highly triggering to parents, particularly when your aim is to parent peacefully. Old patterns of shouting... Continue Reading →
The house is quietly busy right now. In the last year, my eldest son has gotten majorly into martial arts and sports, and has created a strenuous daily workout routine that he does at home. Whatever the time of day, he's likely to be found doing squats in the kitchen or planks on the living... Continue Reading →
Like most people I know, my inner compass has not always been in charge as I've moved through life. Too often, I've lost track of my own north, and instead followed paths marked out by other guides - compelling whispers in my head about pleasing other people, not giving up, fitting in, proving myself. Some... Continue Reading →
When a child leaves a traditional school environment to begin unschooling, the adjustment period is generally referred to as 'deschooling'. It's a time when, free from external expectations and pressure, they can rediscover their natural rhythms and who they are when no one expects them to be anything in particular. I keep coming across a... Continue Reading →
There is a lot of discussion right now about the power that local authorities in the UK have to ascertain whether children who are not educated in school are, in their opinion, receiving a "suitable education". Around the world, this is something that many unschooling families find themselves navigating—the pressure or legal requirement to show... Continue Reading →
PODCAST
A PLACE ON A HILL 