It's not enough to encourage your kid to do things for himself. You have to be a free range parent, see? And you're a homeschooler? Yawn. What we need parents to be goes beyond even your regular no-rules unschooling because it begins in infancy. It's called Elimination Communication or "undiapering." Crap you not (ha ha). Eventually your child will decide on his own to use the toilet, but meanwhile, do not coerce or bribe your child. Don't get all judge-y because that would be wrong or stifle his creativity or something. Just think of it as a four-year-long game of "Hide the Nugget."
I do not want to share an apartment with these people, thankyouverymuch.
**
An earlier version of this story had the bookstore refusing to discuss the incident. But basically, some old man is wandering about the kids' section and is asked to leave. The new version of the story specifies that he is a doctor of some kind; the old simply stated he had EGYPTIAN descent. The new story? Leaves that fact out!! Hm. Ok, so what is the real story? Was he taking too long browsing, and it creeped the mommies out that he might actually speak to their toddlers? Was he acting weird? Was the clerk overly frightened of old Muslim guys who are interested in board books? What gives?
Stories like this make me want to call the bookstore and Mr. Amin myself and figure out the mystery. Except I have lots of other things to do with my day. One of them is not googling "Shanghai Composite Index," reading the numbers backwards, and making my own political implications based on the numbers. And seriously. The Chinese government is spending time and money blocking their own citizens from seeing this? Just whyy and do they really not have anything else to do?
This makes me wonder what is being blocked HERE in America, but I'm too lazy to spew out odd terms and then read stuff backwards and make stuff up and then get upset that it's blocked after I got a billion of my friends to also read it backwards and think about stuff that happened over 20 years ago.
Maybe if I wanted some excitement I could just say, "Pork team exercise snow China flu!" and see how much attention I get from my good friends at the government. Really! Welcome, Department of Homeland Security readers! Be sure to click the "follow" tab on the side of the blog so you are sure to never miss an update. Enjoy your visit! :)
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Look Out, Dad!!
My father is the purple dot above the blue weather station. He's juuust outside Milton's evacuation zone. Well! My brother and I jus...
I am all for child led learning, but let's face it, not all children are inspired to learn without a bit of prodding. Especially when it comes to being more independent. I kid you not, I have a friend who runs a daycare and she cares for two boys that are parented in similar methods of, when the child is ready so be it. Well, that means for now she is caring for an 8 year old who is completely unwilling to use the toilet. He soils himself, wears the all night diapers all day long. His 6 year old brother decided to learn to use the toilet at 4, but the 8 year old is happy as is. He cleans up his own mess and is picked on by other children at school. The school has called CPS, but there is no found abuse. The parents have great jobs, the house is clean, the kids have pets and toys galore. No signs of abuse, sexual or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThis boy also regulary chooses to wear his pajamas for days on end, eat cereal for most of his meals and the parents are fine with it. They feel when he is ready, he will change. He is bright, read before kindergarten, plays well with other kids, and is a really polite kid. Just trots around in diapers because he can. And likes to. :/
Wow. They're um, pretty dedicated to this lifestyle then because do you know how much poopie diapers smell when the kid is over 5? Ohh no, but you do NOT want to know that firsthand. :/
ReplyDeletePeople put too much effort into crazy.
ReplyDeleteFor some people, it's effortless! :)
DeleteRemember Mayim Bialik of Blossom? Her new book, Beyond the Sling, recommends EC as a form of attachment. There are not supposed to be hidden nuggets in this form of toileting. The parent is supposed to attach herself so closely to her child and learn to read their body language. I can tell when Tristan is having a BM. When a parent sees that behavior, you are supposed to bring the child to the toilet and hold him or her by the thighs in a squatting position and allow them to go in the correct place. Personally, I think it is a little over the top. And, I have two other kids to pay attention to... I don't want to be cleaning up after I have missed the cues because I am sleeping, toileting or (yes) even blogging. Tristan is sleeping right now and I am not even in the same room as he is. But, the other night, he was in the bathtub and started his signaling; I immediately picked him up and assumed the EC position and he pooed in the toilet instead of his tub water. So, I am guessing if I wanted to spend the entire day watching my child, it could work.
ReplyDeleteCulturally, the nannies in Haiti are much better at doing this with the older kids then I was. None of the boys in the toddler nursery wore diapers. They were all in big boy pants and toileted frequently to avoid accidents. So, when I brought David home, I put him in a diaper right away and he stayed like that for 1-1/2 years.
I would think we could reach a happy medium.
Oh I've noticed poo "signals" and sat the kid on the potty... I had no clue I was unschooling tho'.
DeleteI would love to read more about Tristan but you've been silent on the blog and I'm not sure how much you can say. I do think of you guys all the time and wish I could hear stories of the littlest growing up. :)