Musings

[aelfie]

So one of my mantra's lately when I'm feeling blue has been.

I am who I am and that is enough, And its enough because I am where I am and its enough. Its enough because I am who I am....etc, etc

I'm perusing my various Waldorf homeschooling blogs, forums, yahoo groups, etc, and silently lamenting to myself that I'm not Waldorfy enough.

Then I said wait a minute. I am enough. We are enough. Okay, so we aren't the full on all organic food and clothing, living on a farm growing our own food, while raising our own sheep and using it to create our clothes, and haven't owned a TV in years, who's kids not only don't own a single plastic toy but have no idea who in the hell Spiderman is, never seen a comic book, never played a video game family. But its okay. We are enough.

We are our own family. And although my kids watch more TV than I think is healthy, and they have plastic toys, we are doing our best to raise them to be ethical, thoughtful, and kind people. We are giving them the best education possible. Guess what? Its enough. And it will continue to be enough as long as we continue to do our best and strive to improve.

It is enough.

Now where in the hell is the heavy duty lamp timer I bought to put on the TV? I'm gonna cut down their babble box consumption somehow. I'm almost ready to get rid of it...but not yet.

Comments

[urbear]

You know, I'm not convinced that going all the way on the Waldorf thing is in the best interest of the kids. They have to live in the real world eventually, and depriving them of all the pop cultural references that their peers will be using would be doing them a serious disservice. Strictly limiting that consumption, sure... preventing it entirely, not such a good idea, IMHO.

Or to look at it from another perspective, what sort of reasonable educational goal involves withholding information that the rest of the world is intimately familiar with?

[aelfie.livejournal.com]

Its not a permanent denial. Its a denial of as much of electronic media in all forms until age appropriate (deemed to be high school or teen years, which ever happens first). Young children do not need exposure to LOTS of TV (hell nobody does). Studies keep showing it again and again. You have discipline problems, learning problems, sleeping problems, etc, etc all associated with exposure to electronic media (TV, Movies, Internet, etc).

So yes, I agree, they do need to know about the real world. But I want them to be able to be kids and play imaginatively without having to resort to recreating the last episode of Dora the Explorer they saw. When they are old enough, then they can get exposure.

The phenomenon of todays kids of not knowing how or not being able to function without electronics or electronic prompts...dismays me. I want my kids to have the chance to think outside the box...before they get put in the box with everyone else.

Does that make sense? I have to admit, a lot of the people who's blogs etc I see are a lot more granola hippie crunchy than me. For example, I use cloth diapers, I cannot even think about using elimination communication.

I'm just trying to remind myself that their way isn't necessarily my way. My kids will watch TV, even though its the worst thing in the world for someone on the spectrum like Ike. I just want to limit it and not fight with these people every time they get "bored". And we will read comic books, 'cause I think they are a good thing, and we will game and game and game. =)

[aelfie.livejournal.com]

Oh BTW, this anti-technology of Waldorf has been around since the beginning. When radios were first becoming popular, the schools recommended that homes not have one as it is better for a student to hear and see a live performance rather than hearing a recording through an object.