Comments on: The Parenting Thread

By: 00352

00352 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:14:01 +0000

Being a mommy-to-be (5 weeks or so) there are so many questions and doubts about being a parent. There’s such a large amount of online support is awesome! My favorite right now is http://www.ourbabysteps.com because it is not only focused on moms but also on dads so you get two different perspectives. My husband loves this site as well!

By: Update: A Week Without Punishment « In Need Of Chocolate

Update: A Week Without Punishment « In Need Of Chocolate — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:16:07 +0000

[...] April 3, 2008 by inneedofchocolate We’ve been through two full days now of not using punishments and overall I am much happier. It’s feels good not to be constantly threatening M with the punishment she will get if her actions don’t change Instead, like Melissa said, I’m being creative about finding ways to do steer us in a better direction and actually enjoying the strategizing. Here’s the quote from Melissa’s parenting thread: [...]

By: Sarah N.

Sarah N. — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:19:14 +0000

My mind is still racing with questions about repectful parenting and unschoolyness (can that be a word?). I’m starting a punishment free week at my house. Anyone who is interested in how it goes can see updates at my blog (http://inneedofchocolate.wordpress.com).

By: Ebeth

Ebeth — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:44:14 +0000

For the past 5 years, we have been homeschooling our 2 daughters. Things were going very well, I have to admit, until about a year ago…yes that’s when I started blogging at the Pillars, but everytime I remind them of their chores, I get a look, the shrugged shoulders, the auuuugh! sound. I got tired of it, and then I yell. THings are not picked up, books are left on the floor, dishes are not done…..correctly and I blow up! My girls do NOt want to respond to me respectfully. I want them to answer me, “Yes/No, Mom.” THEN, add, “but may I say something?” I told them that I would be very understanding and listen, but that they had to answer me in my terms.

How do you get them to pick up after themselves. They are great at getting their work done, but one never gives me her work to correct and the other one does half of the time……

By: Respectful Parenting « In Need Of Chocolate

Respectful Parenting « In Need Of Chocolate — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:12:13 +0000

[...] articles and comments that have sprung from Melissa Wiley’s original patience post and her latest post in this series. Last night I stayed up late following links and catching up on new comments, and [...]

By: Kathryn H

Kathryn H — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:37:22 +0000

The use of the word ‘preventive’ is interesting, as it is the word used to describe St. John Bosco’s system of education (I chose him as patron for my homeschool because he took wild boys off the street and transformed them :o). At the heart of his method, he said, was simply to love the boys, and to always be in touch with what was really in their hearts- if you started with this, he said, you ‘prevented’ 99% of the conflicts which ended up being dealt with by punishments. He absolutely forbade the use of corporal punishment in his schools- and really, his whole approach- which was essentially Christ’s!- was seen as so revolutionary at the time….but he proved that it worked!So much of his understanding of children can be applied to our own parenting and ‘homeschooling’ (why is that word coming to seem less and less appropriate?!)

By: Tracy

Tracy — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:20:34 +0000

I have been thinking a lot about Amy’s question of balance. I agree with those who think that balance is a key to many aspects of our lives. I mention it to my children all the time- healthy eating, schooling, relationships, etc. They all require balance.

Where I get tripped up and put too much pressure on myself to achieve balance is when the timeframe in which to achieve that balance is too short. For example, if I try to provide a balanced education to my children every 24 hours, I fail every time. But, if I give myself a week, a month, a lifetime even, it takes the pressure off (and helps me enjoy the moment instead of rushing to the “next thing”). The same is true for other aspects of my life.

An immediate family member was very ill and we did not know if he would wake up. Without much thought, I spent a great deal of that time in the hospital (or driving back and forth). If I tried to find balance in those 10 days, I could not. I failed miserably to balance anything that week. But, I was there when he did wake up and I am grateful for all the moments we came together as a family in that difficult time. Sometimes, I need to step back and define balance over a greater period of time and then, and only then, do the scales start to balance again.

Maybe I am cheating a little by defining balance in this way, but it brings me peace of mind to do so.