The boys sure do love to collect crystals. Iain has a large number that he has picked up over the last couple of years and yesterday they found a doozy right in our backyard. Iain and one of his friends from soccer have been exchanging crystals. It’s nice that his friend recognizes Iain’s interest and wants to assist him in growing his collection. In fact, it made Iain think, “What can I do for Brice? What can I give him as thanks for the crystals?”
In the picture above they were pretending to be Link from Legend of Zelda, Ryan was Young Link and Iain was Big Link. They play this game a lot and have amassed a good number of swords and shields to assist in their roleplay. I used to get so upset when they would use video game characters in their imaginative play and would scold Iain for doing so. Now I realize how snobby that point of view was. It’s his imagination, for crying out loud, who am I to Lord over it? Now I’m just happy that I’m able to appreciate the fact that they are imaginative and that they get along so well together. They really are best friends.
All of the reading I have done on Radical Unschooling has really opened my eyes to the fact that I am a control freak, not just in regard to my children but in all my relationships. It’s hard to release something that is so deeply ingrained in me but I am trying hard to do that every single day. The boys have become my partners and allies in this quest to be a better parent and person and I rely on them to give me feedback and let me know when I’m being too controlling. I think it’s important as parents that we question the parenting practices of those that have gone before us. Just because it’s always been done “that way” doesn’t mean it’s the best way. For anyone who is interested in reading about Radical Unschooling I encourage you to look at the following websites:
http://sandradodd.com/unschooling.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~fetteroll/rejoycing/
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