family

202: Tough or Unconditional Love?

Do good parents stay firmly in control of their children, demanding obedience, good behaviour and respect? Do they practise tough love? Or are there problems with this method of parenting? Is there some other way of raising kids to be good people who want to do what is right? Is it okay to parent with unconditional love?
 
This week, I’m sharing a few stories on this topic. I also have a request or plea for help.
 
Show Notes
Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family, to read my post,  Tough or Unconditional Love?Parent or Friend?  It contains today’s show notes.
 
My Unschooling Books
The Unschool Challenge: Kindle
The Unschool Challenge: paperback
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 

201: Unschooling, Drifting, Planning and True Freedom

Is unschooling about drifting aimlessly through each day?
Do unschoolers waste time? Or do they live intentionally responding to their needs and making sure they achieve the things that are relevant and important to them?
Do unschoolers direct their lives instead of letting life direct them? Is that the meaning of true freedom?
Does the word ‘planning’ have a place in unschooling?
This week, I’m discussing these questions and more while telling a few stories.
 
Show Notes
Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family, to read my post,  Do Unschoolers Drift Aimlessly Through Each Day? It contains today’s show notes.
 
My Unschooling Books
The Unschool Challenge: Kindle
The Unschool Challenge: paperback
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 
 
 

198: Should Children Be Responsible for Their Own Educations?

Should children be responsible for their own educations? Or is that an irresponsible idea?
This week, I’m exploring lots of questions including:
Is learning an active activity that needs the learner’s cooperation? Is it impossible to force knowledge into a child without resorting to teaching methods that ultimately destroy their natural love of learning?
Is forced learning real learning?
Is it better to unschool and let children learn what’s important to them?
But if we choose unschooling, will our kids, one day, accuse us of side-stepping our duty and not providing them with a good education?
Show Notes
Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family, to read my post, Who Should Be Responsible for a Child’s Education, the Parent or the Child? It contains today’s show notes.
 
My Unschooling Books
The Unschool Challenge: Kindle
The Unschool Challenge: paperback
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 

194: Unschoolers, Chores and Rosters

This week, I'm discussing chores. How do we encourage our kids to be generous and willing workers?
I’m sharing two stories:
How to Get Kids to Do the Chores
The Radical Chore Roster
Please visit my blog, Stories of an Unschooling Family, to read my post, Can Radical Unschoolers Use Chore Rosters? It contains today’s show notes.
 
My Unschooling Books
The Unschool Challenge: Kindle
The Unschool Challenge: paperback
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page

189: The Important People in Our Lives

I'm back! Are you surprised? I am!
This week, I'm talking about:
How lack of control makes us feel helpless. Do controlled kids feel helpless? Does control lead to mental health issues?
If we want a society of responsible adults, do we need to listen to kids, give them freedom, and let them learn how to be responsible for themselves?
Difficult times, friends, and our unschooling community
How change can stretch us, and how we learn when we have an interest or a need
Video gaming and what I've learnt since I became a video gamer
My new children's novel, The Angels of Wallaby Way!
Perfectionism, and the fear of criticism, and Marco Polo video messages
The value of feedback, encouragement, and the most important people in our lives
Show Notes
Blog Post
What I discovered When I Became a Video Gamer
 
My Unschooling Books
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
The Angels of Wallaby Way: available very soon!
My Amazon Author Page
 
Where You Can Find Me
Unschooling Community including Unschool Plus and Marco Polo
My Stories of an Unschooling Family community
Youtube
Sue Elvis
Blogs
Stories of an Unschooling Family
Where the Carol Birds Sing
 
Thank you for listening to this episode!
 

188: It's Not for Me!

This week, Imogen and I are discussing:
The value of casual work and lower profile jobs
How our kids can surprise us
Jobs and passions
Why we need to promote our work
How to answer critics and critique other people’s work
The importance of helping each other
Jane Austen, Sanditon and Bridgerton
Ageing
And other things!
 
Show Notes
 
Things we mention in this episode
This is Marketing: book by Seth Godin
The Illustrated Man: book by Ray Bradbury
Sanditon: miniseries adapted from Jane Austen's novel by Andrew Davies 
Sanditon: unfinished Jane Austen novel
Pride and Prejudice: 1995 miniseries adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austen's novel
Bridgerton: miniseries
Bridgerton: book by Julia Quinn
 
My Unschooling Books
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 
Where You Can Find Me
Unschooling Community
My Stories of an Unschooling Family community
Youtube
Sue Elvis
Blogs
Stories of an Unschooling Family
Where the Carol Birds Sing
Instagram
sue_elvis
 
Where You Can Find Imogen
Blog
Write.Rewrite.Read
Instagram
write.rewrite.read
Youtube
Imogen Elvis
Books
The Crystal Tree
The Shattering Song
Frost Hands
 
Thank you for listening to this episode!
 
 

187: The Problem With High Expectations and Control

This week, Imogen and I are talking about:
High expectations and control. Do they result in unhappy children? Do controlled kids look for distractions? Does limiting screen time result in an increased attraction for devices?
A novel that Imogen reviewed: Dear Hero
Inspiration and different ways of telling a story
How we can work together, share our skills, and help each other
The Catholic Homeschool Conference (I'm a speaker!)
News of two soon-to-be-produced unschooling podcasts
 
Show Notes
Things we mentioned in this episode:
 
Indistractible by Nir Eyal
Masterchef Australia 2021
Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
Dear Hero by Hope Bolinger and Alyssa Roat
Illuminae Files Book Series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The Catholic Homeschool Conference
 
My Unschooling Books
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 
Where You Can Find Me
Unschooling Community
My Stories of an Unschooling Family community
Youtube
Sue Elvis
Blogs
Stories of an Unschooling Family
Where the Carol Birds Sing
Instagram
sue_elvis
 
Where You Can Find Imogen
Blog
Write.Rewrite.Read
Instagram
write.rewrite.read
Youtube
Imogen Elvis
Books
The Crystal Tree
The Shattering Song
Frost Hands
 
Thank you for listening to this episode!
 
 

186: Criticism, Reviews, and Paying it Forward

This week, Imogen and I have a lively conversation about:
The highs and lows that affect our parenting, homeschooling and creative lives
Criticism: why do we let other people's opinions affect what we do? Whose opinions should we listen to? Why we shouldn't let criticism stop us from using our talents
Reviews: why we don't ask for many reviews
Writing about things we have never experienced
Paying it Forward: is free online stuff really free? 
We're also discussing some books and movies.
And we're telling stories about:
how to remove a dead tree
cockroaches
how I might have made a difference to the lives of the world's dogs
and many other things
 
Show Notes
Things we mention in this episode:
 
Tamworth
Botanic gardens and Marsupial Park
Country Music Festival
 
Gunnedah
Silo Art: Dorothea MacKellar and her poem, My Country
Water Tower Art: The Long Tan Battle of the Vietnam War
Silo Art at Barraba
 
Book
Show Your Work: Ten Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon
 
Tin Tin comics and Netflix shows
 
Movies and Series
The Greatest Showman
Les Mis
Oklahoma
Hamilton
The Crown
The Chosen
 
My Unschooling Books
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 
Where You Can Find Me
Unschooling Community
My Stories of an Unschooling Family community
Youtube
Sue Elvis
Blogs
Stories of an Unschooling Family
Where the Carol Birds Sing
Instagram
sue_elvis
 
Where You Can Find Imogen
Blog
Write.Rewrite.Read
Instagram
write.rewrite.read
Youtube
Imogen Elvis
Books
The Crystal Tree
The Shattering Song
Frost Hands
 
Thank you for listening to this episode!
 
 

185: Social Media, Hooks, Distractions, and Books

This week, Imogen and I are discussing:
Social media and video games: can we break the hooks that pull us in?
Books: is it okay to use someone else’s ideas and create something of our own?
In particular, we’re talking about the documentary, The Social Dilemma, and the books, Dust by Kara Swanson and The Drover’s Wife by Leah Purcell.
We’re also telling a few family stories.
 
Show Notes
Things we mention in this episode:
Indistractible and Hooked by Nir Eyal
The Social Dilemma on Netflix
Dust by Kara Swanson
The Drover’s Wife by Leah Purcell
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Henry Lawson: poems and short stories
Bleak House and Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens
How to Train Your Dragon: movie and book
The Princess Bride: movie and book
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Jeff Wayne’s musical, The War of the Worlds
 
My Unschooling Books
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 
Where You Can Find Me
Unschooling Community
My Stories of an Unschooling Family community
Youtube
Sue Elvis
Blogs
Stories of an Unschooling Family
Where the Carol Birds Sing
Instagram
sue_elvis
 
Where You Can Find Imogen
Blog
Write.Rewrite.Read
Instagram
write.rewrite.read
Youtube
Imogen Elvis
Books
The Crystal Tree
The Shattering Song
Frost Hands
 
Thank you for listening to this episode!
 

184:Trying Not to Complain

This week, as the rain continues to fall, I'm telling a few stories:
 
Wondering Weather I Should Iron
The Elvis Connection
Me? I'm Elvis' Wife
Why I'm Wearing Stiff Undies
 
Show Notes
 
My Unschooling Books
Curious Unschoolers: Kindle
Curious Unschoolers: paperback
Radical Unschool Love: Kindle
Radical Unschool Love: paperback
My Amazon Author Page
 
Where You Can Find Me
Unschooling Community
My Stories of an Unschooling Family community
Youtube
Sue Elvis
Blogs
Stories of an Unschooling Family
Where the Carol Birds Sing
Instagram
sue_elvis
 
Thank you for listening to this episode!