October 10, 2010
Fall has finally arrived in the desert, with some temperatures under 90 degrees! Having lived in Michigan, I miss the cool weather that comes in late September along with the changing leaves, although I wouldn’t trade the winters here in the southwest.
I feel as though I finally recovered from traveling to present and speak at the Rethinking Everything Conference. I met amazing parents at the conference committed to respectful parenting. I look forward to meeting more of you as time goes on at future conferences or get togethers!
I recently spent time talking with Tania Luna from RenegadeCampus.com. She and Erica Goldson (whose valedictorian speech about her school experiences and ideas for improving education made the rounds on Facebook in the summer) created the site to engage others in ideas about changing educational systems. I will let you know when my interview is available, most likely it will be sometime next month.
Talking with Tania spurred me to write more about two specific topics. I also had a day full of challenge that inspired me to think about how I use blame.
Shifting Blame
I had a moment of clarity (yes, sometimes those do come to me!) about how I use blame to avoid my feelings. I will blame Martel or Greyson, or my partner Rob for my feelings of anger, instead of owning them.One of the challenges I’ve faced in my parenting journey, is my need to find something or someone to blame when things aren’t the way I want them to be....Click here to read more.
Adultism
One of the first questions Tania asked me was to define adultism. I realized that although I have referred to the concept of adultism on my website, I hadn't really defined it. I've added a short article defining this concept with help from Barry Checkoway, a professor at the University of Michigan, whom I quote in the article. Click here to read more.Differences and Deficiencies
Tania and I also talked, in the context of adultism, about how in our paradigm of control and domination, though we may not be willing to admit it, we see the differences in children as evidence of their lesser status as compared to adults. Click here to read more.Book Update
If you are interested in pre-ordering my upcoming book, Parenting for Social Change, you can do so through my website. The discounted pre-publication price is $15, including free shipping (including international shipping for those of you living outside the US!). I expect the book will be ready before the end of the year, but will keep you updated on the date it is available! Click here to go to the book order page.Thanks as always for being a part of my website and sharing my parenting process!
All the best,
Teresa Graham Brett
