What Is Uncharted Parenting?

Posted in DemEd in Real LifeParenting on Oct 25, 2009 - 12:31 AM

For anyone dedicated to the ideals of democracy, peace, and equality in education, parenting can be just as complex as it is beautiful; just as frustrating as satisfying. That's because we're in new territory, endeavoring to respond to a failed schooling system and a troubled society in need of new solutions. We want to raise happy families that are resilient enough to find purpose and security despite our economic and educational systems showing ever greater signs of distress. We know that, to create the world we want, we must begin where we are. So we pour our hearts and souls into parenting our children in way that reflects our courage and hope for a better society.

The story of human culture is but a trail of flowers and fungus along an arching, aching branch made of parents and children. Parenting is at the core of who we are, how we are, and what we are to become. There have been millions upon millions of parents in our species' ancestry. Most of us have had at least one parenting role model, if not dozens. Thousand upon thousands of books have been written and read on the subject and we even hold thousands of workshops, retreats and courses each year on it. And still, each new mother and each new father begins her or his journey in parenting as if they are touching down on a distant planet no other human has seen.

Parents who embrace democratic, holistic and progressive education can never just outsource those processes to others. Because we know it's not merely a matter of picking the right school. These ideals should be rooted in the home, grow through engaged learning (school and/or otherwise), and flower in the community. But how? In uncharted territory, perhaps parents shouldn't cling to tightly to rules or precepts. They blind us to new ways of being and new opportunities. And besides, where we're heading, the same old rules don't necessarily apply.

This blog explores how parenting and democratic education go hand in hand as we, along with our children, make our path by walking.

Tags for this entry:
hope, history, experimenting, role modeling

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