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Editor-in-Chief of Editor-in-Chief
of Editor-in-Chief of Author of unschooling books Interview on Radio Free School
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Musings, meanderings, wonderings and wanderings about unschooling, natural parenting, sustainable living and more by Wendy Priesnitz. Archives - January, 2008 New Magazine Baby is Born – January
29, 2008 Please
feel free to share the link with anyone you think would be interested in
this magazine. The interest has been huge so far and we anticipate the
first issue will sell out. Finding Our
Tribe – January 16, 2008 Since we need descriptive words in order to converse among ourselves and to communicate about our lives with others, I’ve at least tried to find terminology that is, indeed, descriptive (such as “life learning”) and positive while not limiting what is, after all, a very fluid approach to living, learning and parenting. Still, discussions about the definitions of the myriad categories – and how one fits into them or not – always leave me feeling a bit uncomfortable. There will be one in the March/April issue of Life Learning magazine, which I’m just finalizing: In her “Talking About Life Learning” conversation with Sandra Rakovac, New Zealand mother Lishelle de Young talks about the difference between “radical unschooling” and “unschooling.” When I took this topic of language to our Reader Advisory Panel, someone pointed out that such terms are used more or less in various countries, and perhaps even have slightly different meanings in different places. Aarrgghh. But as I’ve thought more about this, I’ve realized that describing ourselves and our families’ lives through the use of such words is not about labeling, one-up-manship or peer group pressure. It’s about finding our tribe. It’s about identifying with like-minded people in a world of other-minded ones. In addition to our strong need to establish a unique persona, we human beings also have an equally strong desire to be accepted, to be among people who understand our choices, who accept us as we are, without reservation, and who support us on our journey. The need to identify and to be identified by a supportive community is especially intense when our journey follows a lightly trodden path, when we are taking risks. The need for nourishment from such a group of like-minded people is probably also stronger when we’re living in nuclear families, isolated at home with very young children or feeling the lack of the status that society unfortunately gives to those who go to jobs. The Internet has helped many
people find their tribes. And I’m pleased to know (because so many of
you take the time to tell me) that Life Learning magazine has, over the
last five years, become such a community. It no longer matters to me how
you label it. Bleached Green – January 15, 2008 Now, I have been wondering if this environmentally unfriendly company was trying to wrap itself in a stylish cloak of green ever since it bought out uber-eco body care manufacturer Burt’s Bees a few months ago. And, sure enough, it’s just come out with a line of “natural cleaning products” called Green Works. But why is Sierra Club – which has, in the past, joined lawsuits seeking to clean up chlorine – telling me about Clorox’s new product line? “The Green Works line will make it easier and more affordable for Americans to buy eco-friendly products,” according to Carl Pope, the Sierra Club’s Executive Director. “The Sierra Club is excited to help influence the buying behavior of millions of Americans [it will be available in Canada too] who want to do the right thing by purchasing safer products. People are out there looking for solutions, and we’re eager to give a giant kick-start to the market for green, affordable household cleaning products.” Up until now, says the Sierra Club, “a big stumbling block for families who want to live a greener lifestyle has been the high cost of ‘green’ products and the fact that they are not always easy to find.” Well, I’ve been cleaning quite effectively with lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar for 35 years and have found them to be neither expensive nor difficult to find. According to Sierra Club/Clorox, Green Works is “99 percent natural and made from ingredients derived from coconuts and lemon oil, and contains no phosphorus or bleach. The products are formulated to be biodegradable, non-allergenic, packaged in bottles that can be recycled [which is no different than any other cleaning product] and not tested on animals.” There is no word as to whether or not Clorox is going to stop animal testing its bleach and other toxic cleaning products, or stop making bleach or remove toxic ingredients from its other products. But to its credit, the company uses the relative term “environmentally-preferable” in addition to the over-used and unregulated “natural” (chlorine is “natural”) and it does list its ingredients (including the one percent non-natural ones) on its labels. I’m happy that one of the major manufacturers is
seriously recognizing the growing market for responsible products (sales
of natural cleaning products rose by 23 percent between 2006 and 2007,
according to SPINS, a market research and consulting firm for the
natural products industry).…and I am even willing to consider the
possibility that this could be an indication of a permanently raised
consciousness on the part of Clorox (although I see no evidence yet).
But – aside from Clorox’s other non-green products, its current
motives and whether or not Green Works is a quality product – I’m
very unhappy that a major environmental organization has compromised its
independence and integrity by entering into this branding partnership:
In exchange for Sierra Club’s endorsement (name and logo on the
label!), Clorox will be providing “support for Sierra Club’s efforts
to preserve and protect the environment,” which translates into an
undisclosed fee based on sales. Now, Sierra Club has always been
pragmatic, encouraging companies that do the right thing, like when they
issued a press release in 2005 congratulating Ford for creating a hybrid
SUV. But unless they’re setting themselves up as a certification
agency with clearly published standards (and I see no evidence of that
either), accepting royalties on sales in exchange for their logo on the
label is selling out big time in the name of greenwash. As a journalist,
I will now be wondering what’s behind every new Sierra Club press
release that I receive. Or maybe I should tell them to stop bothering to
clog up my in box. Stuck Going to School – January 14, 2008 Most media outlets ran the item as a cute little
story about boys being boys and how silly of this boy to think he
ultimately wouldn’t have to attend school. (Most versions of the piece
ended with him going a few hours late.) But there are a number of
homeschoolers in Mexico
and the boy doesn’t have to go to school. Too bad that he had to go to
such extremes to stay home. Too bad he was ultimately forced to go if he
didn’t want to go. Too bad the media didn’t look into the real
reason why he didn’t want to go. Too bad most people are able to see
just one way – and an antiquated, coercive, largely ineffective one at
that – for kids to learn. The
Harm of Not Trusting Children – January 6,
2008 I don’t like war metaphors, but in a perverse sort of way, I can accept the newly coined term “Black Hawks,” after the military helicopter of the same name, which is used to describe those who cross the line to unethical behavior such as writing their children’s college admission essays. Yes, I’m told it happens. These are parents do more than hover at a safe distance; they actively intervene. Now, according to an article in the Guardian newspaper, helicopter parents are moving beyond tricycles and college exams to participating in the job market on behalf of their children. They write the resumes, go along on interviews, fight with managers about their child’s performance evaluations and try to participate in salary negotiations. That’s not caring; it’s meddling in someone else’s life and taking away their freedom of person! And it does a huge disservice to young people because it delays maturity, lessens self-esteem, undermines self-confidence and prevents the development of problem-solving skills. Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent in the UK views the rise of the helicopter parent as an indicator of an infantilization of society and the blurring of the boundaries between childhood and adulthood. He says we are witnessing the appearance of “kidults” or “adultescents” – people who are biologically maturing at an ever early age (which is another issue altogether) but are treated like semi-children by families and institutions (which are cancelling recess because it’s too dangerous). Furedi should have added the billion dollar industry that has developed as marketers exploit the natural fears of new parents (with money to burn) – selling everything from those highly questionable Baby Einstein products to kneepads for crawling babies, bullet-proof backpacks and books with names like Germ-Proof Your Kids. We need to think about the result of all this inappropriate parental control, this lack of trust in and respect for young people’s ability to learn, grow and act appropriately. These “kidults” are going to have to solve the serious economic, environmental and social problems their baby boomer parents have. If their families and their schools infantilize them in order to keep them safe – delay their development in order to allay adult anxieties – they won’t have been provided with the tools to solve those problems. They won’t even have learned how to keep themselves safe because they won’t know how to assess danger and make wise decisions. A story on this subject in my local newspaper quotes social work professor Michael Ungar from his book Too Safe for Their Own Good, about the risk the bubble-wrapping creates for kids. Some teens, he says, robbed of the inherent need for risk-taking and testing the boundaries, seek it out in dangerous ways like delinquency, substance abuse or running away. “Too much risk and we endanger a child,” writes Ungar. “Too little risk and we fail to provide a child with healthy opportunities for growth and psychological development.” Children learn by doing – and that means by
making mistakes, whether the mistake results in a skinned knee or a
wasted semester. The role of parents and the other adults in
children’s lives is to facilitate that learning in developmentally
appropriate ways. Are we helicoptering because we’re afraid to let go
or because we’re living vicariously through our children…or do we
just not know how to teach them to make their own decisions while
keeping themselves safe? Lightening My Mood to Match My Footprint – January 1, 2008 Then why is my biggest problem not lightening my footprint but my mood? I keep wondering if all the sacrifices individuals are making really matter if governments and industry don’t stop dithering. And the greenwash gets me down. A few months ago, a PR firm sent me a whole case full of water in plastic bottles sourced from a spring in Fiji…accompanied by a press release telling me how it is the first bottled water brand to go carbon negative...quite a trick if they are planning to offset all that plastic and other packaging, as well as the processing and transportation involved with providing something I can get from my own kitchen faucet. Then I read about how an eight-passenger SUV won the “Green Car of the Year” award at the Los Angeles Auto Show. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was quoted as drooling, “They’ve proven that they can make beautiful cars, strong cars, keep the size, keep the safety, and all those kinds of things, and at the same time be more fuel efficient.” Maybe his heart is in the right place. After all, it is Hollywood. And Hollywood, says American author, columnist and blogger Arianna Huffington, “has gone from the capital of conspicuous consumption to the cutting edge of conspicuous conservation.” So I’m trying to keep my senses of humor and perspective. One of the ways I’m doing that is by working on the launch of Life Media’s third periodical – Natural Child Magazine, which grew out of the Natural Child column that has been a feature of Natural Life for so many years. Starting my own family almost 36 years ago is what got me on this road to a greener, fairer world, after all. Maybe the “natural children” in my family and their peers will be able to solve the problems my generation has created. Another way that I’m trying to stay hopeful for the future is by writing and reading. One of the writers whose books I’ll be exploring more thoroughly this year is a Tibetan Buddhist nun named Pema Chodron. She is a teacher at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the first Tibetan monastery for Westerners. Her books have titles that are well suited to these times, including No Time to Lose, The Places that Scare You, When Things Fall Apart, and Start Where You Are. And what better place to begin than with a quote from the latter title: “The best gift you can give yourself is to lighten up.” Enjoy 2008 and keep a light heart to
accompany your lightened footprint. Return
to current weblog
copyright © Wendy Priesnitz 2008 |
Topics & Passions: life learning ~ Monthly Archives: ~ What I'm Reading: Start Where You Are: A
Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chodron (Shambhala, 2001) ~ What
I'm Listening To:
Gold by Nina Simone (Sony Universal Music, 2007) ~
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