It’s a cold morning, though the snow has mostly melted. The lack of snow means there’s not a lot of interest around the house in playing outside, so it’s an inside kind of day.
Which also makes it a day full of spontaneous learning. Continue reading “Snapshot of an Unschool Morning”
A large latte, an interesting book, and some good weather. Sometimes that all it takes to regain some mental sanity in the midst of a stressful week so that I can focus on the things in my life that are genuinely important. Continue reading “Reading While They Play”
Some years ago I was attending my second Home Dad Con, a gathering of stay-at-home dads to discuss parenting over the course of a couple of days. It was my second year attending, and though I had enjoyed the first year somewhat, it was not going well the second time around. I was instead having a full anxiety attack. Continue reading “Social Anxiety and Parenting”
Big families are a lot of work, and so are small families. Continue reading Full Hands
Three years ago I was at the museum with my five children. The baby was hungry for a bottle and the rest were hungry for their lunch, so we headed into the foodcourt. We sat at an empty table with enough room for all of us, and I asked the older four children to sit quietly while I fed the baby. Continue reading “Conversation at the Museum: Thoughts on Fatherhood”
Oh no! You’ve ruined my plan! Wait, if I take that trade, then there’s a small chance that my plan may yet prevail! Haha! A, age 8, during an exciting game of chess Continue reading Kid Quote
I sacrificed myself to keep my daughter safe when I slipped on the ice. Now I’m sitting in the ER after a tetanus shot waiting on X-ray results and for someone to bandage my elbow. But she’s safe at home, happily napping. Continue reading
Part of the subtle art of Unschooling is finding ways to inspire your children and to help them find their interests. As a result, part of the ongoing process of Unschooling is exposing children to new ideas, topics and pursuits, but also to model a lifestyle of pursuing interests and hobbies. When children see their parents learning even as adults, it has a couple of important effects. Continue reading “Hobbies and Unschooling”
Hello Son.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am your father. Of course you’ve already met me, in your fashion, but you don’t know me, and you don’t know what it means that I am your father. In time you’ll learn, but for right now you spend most of your time sleeping and eating, and cuddling with your mother. It will be a long time before you read this, but there are some things I need to tell you anyway.
The Dad Hatter 