The following is a discussion between HEM’s editor and publisher, Barb Lundgren and Mark Hegener, that was published in the March-April 2013 issue of Home Education Magazine. With well over 60 combined years of experience as unschooling parents, Barb and Mark reflect on some of long term effects of raising children with respect, integrity, trust and nurturing support for the self-directed life.
Barb:
I’ve spent the last 30 years of my life wondering whether unschooling my kids would really make a difference in how they feel about themselves, their connection to others and society, their understanding of the human condition and what makes the world go ’round. My kids are now all grown up and I am still wondering, observing, and thinking about this. I hold a fundamental belief that life should be simple, and yet dissecting such a question is complex indeed. It’s a beautiful truth that their childhoods, our family life, was rich, fun, exciting and spontaneous with many, many steep, fast-paced learning curves.
We lived a magical existence and, for the most part, felt on top of the world: my children were empowered with the knowledge that not only were they never expected to do anything they did not want to do, but that their parents would support their wide and varied forms of emotional, psychological, spiritual, artistic and academic expression. We trusted each of our children’s natural learning processes, engaged in lots of discussion, listened to each other, applied consensual decision-making.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
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