Episode #5: Kindness and Unconditional Love – What do they have to do with Unschooling? Part 2

Kindness and unconditional love are things that most parents hope to have and give to their children. In fact they are valued by almost all people. What do they have to do with unschooling? Join us as we explore what kindness and unconditional love have meant for each of us and the role they might play in our unschooling families.

We were so grateful to have Sue Elvis chat with us about this topic! Sue is the author of Curious Unschoolers and Radical Unschool Love (now in its second edition). She blogs and podcasts at Stories of an Unschooling Family and can be found on Instagram at Stories of an Unschooling Family.

We Discuss:

How respectful relationship is not just about outcome – it’s a loving way to interact with our children regardless

That we can be friends with our kids now, even before they are adults

The opportunity as an adult to come to a greater acceptance of ourselves even if we didn’t experience unconditional love and acceptance as children, and the work that it takes

How children have the opportunity of accepting and respecting themselves and the role that we play in that

Looking at academic goals versus relationship and connection – where they differ and do they always need to?

The internal strength and emotional intelligence that can come from experiencing kindness over time

“Stealth learning or “sneaky learning” and how those terms feel in the context of respectful relationship

How the focus is often on whether kids will learn, but really so much of the work and deschooling belongs to the parents, whether it will “work” for the adults

The common idea of “Yes, it was tough, but I survived.”

Praising our children – what do we think about it?

How kindness and unconditional love can weave into our interactions with people of all ages and the positive societal impact that can have.

Resources:

Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Resources, L.R. Knost

Stories of an Unschooling Family blog and podcast

Radical Unschool Love – Second Edition, Sue Elvis

5 Ways to be a Kinder Parent, Taking a Kinder Path blog

Shining our Light: Kindness as Mindset, Ever Learning