2004-12-21 - 1:21 p.m.
Full disclosure, I am not really an unschooler or any other particular kind of parent, but I do find the unschooling philosophy intriguing and it inspires me to do better by my kids and question my knee-jerk behaviors which are based on how I was raised.
Anyway...unschoolers I've met online often talk about trusting their kids to make the right food choices and not restricting them, not forcing them to clean their plates or eat their vegetables. I am scared, threatened by this. For most parents it's just a given that what our kids eat is supposed to be under our control. I hate wasting food. I can't stand it when either of the kids doesn't clean their plate and my training says I have to either yell at or cajole them to eat it all, just try it, come on, one more bite...or punish them somehow, as in, "Fine, you don't have to eat it but no dessert."
Well, if I didn't like my food, I would not finish it. In fact, I wouldn't even try it if I took one look and knew it would be gross. If my husband or mother-in-law left something on their plate I wouldn't refuse to give them dessert. I'm giggling just thinking about it...."Okay, Mother-in-Law, you don't have to finish your lunch but you can't have anything till dinner!"
How stupid and hypocritical.
We don't show our kids basic courtesy and respect, simply because of their age. This is a revelation to me.
I also ran into someone online who talked about how silly she thinks parents are who yell at their kids and try to force them to finish their food on principle...at McDonalds. Or say stuff like, "No more French Fries till you eat some more of that hamburger.
Lady, it's all fat and salt anyway, pure crap for the love of Pete! Let the kid eat the French Fries! Or not.
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Weird Tokyo moments....I live for the weird little paradoxes of this city. Walking down one of the busiest streets in Tokyo, the only white person in sight, and suddenly a furniture store's p.a. system is blasting Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart". Or like yesterday, strolling through the red-light district (Kabukicho) and seeing, right above a garish transvestite bar, billboard-sized cute wildlife photos and a sign that says in English ,"Penguin Love".
I live in the City of Penguin Love, and every day I see something that makes me smile.
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Listening to: Capercallie (Celtic) clashing with DH playing \"Here Comes the Sun\"
Reading: Lasher by Anne Rice, Teach Your Own by John Holt
Kids are up to...DD nursing at the keyboard (forgive typos!) and DS is singing Beatles songs with DH
