A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. November Theme: "Unique Perspective"
Volume 2 Issue 1 ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Theo Georgina Tigger The PWOMWBFY Speech Derek Wilken Connecting the Dots David Suzuki PhD Celebrating the Season Theo Georgina Tigger E Pluribus Unum - One God, From Many Concepts Rev. Cheryl Jewett I Choose NOT to Procreate! Charlene Cloth Diaper for Less! Stell Michelsen Tarot Café Kirsty Norton The Envelope, Please... A Profile Featuring: Elizabeth Abernathy AKA Boo Magik'ly Speaking… Featuring: Elizabeth Abernathy's son - Casimir Secrist Aunty Nasty Nasturtium Blackwitt Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Tales of a Country Vet Dr. Bruce Burton DVM Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Technically Tarot Jeannette Roth Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson Poetic License Featured Poets The Keeper Many Moons Susan Seddon Boulet - Engagement Calendar Pomegranate ECOlogical Calendar Pomegranate Astrological Calendar Llewellyn's Call of the Great Spirit; The Shamanic Life and Teachings of Medicine Grizzly Bear Bobby Lake-Thom Sounds of the Chakras Harish Johari Art and Symbols of the Occult James Wasserman

Some people think my philosophy on parenting is rather unique so I thought I'd share it with you all in this issue.

We home school and hand raise our kids. We don't send them off to a building to become educated; instead we keep them at home. We love spending time with them. We also really enjoy the many freedoms home schooling allows us.

I let my kids lead me to what they want to learn. They aren't stupid and don't actually need to be led around by the nose like some people think. Kids want to learn. They are sponges just waiting for information to fill their brains.

My 11-year-old son looooooves bmx-ing. So we get him subscriptions to BMX magazines, get the 'extreme sports' channel on TV and assist him in learning as much about the workings of his bike as possible. This way he's learning many different 'subjects' within one interest.

Of course that's not all he's into…he loves our fish tanks and knows about as much as I do about them. We teach him about the cycle of the tank - how the plants create oxygen etc. so he's learning a lot of science within this little eco-system in our home.

He's also learning carpentry with my hubby. So math is being taught through hands-on information. He learns angles and measurements... how to make two pieces of wood fit together in a mitre cut. They build his BMX jumps together… so he learns what it takes to make something sturdy and safe.

Then there are household chores. He learns to cook, clean and organize. It's amazing how much a kid can learn from heating water in a pot and adding noodles! Not only the science of it, but also how to take care of themselves… independence is very empowering and is a huge part of our home schooling, as are other social issues.

They learn how to handle confrontation in a healthy manner. How to choose 'healthy' relationships rather than 'toxic' ones (although that's one which takes years to teach).

Personally I think it's so important to spend quality time with kids. Sending them off to 'daycare-school' is necessary for some families because being together 24-7 just doesn't work for them and that's what they need. But for me and my family, having this free lifestyle where we don't look at clocks, we aren't forced into routines... going to bed later and getting up later, eating when we are hungry instead of on a strict schedule… it works for us. We love it AND fortunately I have some proof in my pudding - I have an amazing 18 year old daughter who's shit is soooo together you would find it hard to believe she's only 18. People meet her and are in awe of how rounded and mature she is. I believe home schooling is a huge part of what moulded her into who she is today. She thinks so as well.

She's thankful she didn't have to deal with bullying and the negative social aspects of schooling. If she has a friend who was doing something she didn't like, she wasn't forced to see her every day. She could take some time off from her, or let her go out of her life… she has a freedom most adults enjoy but children do not.

So when asked does home schooling require special skills… I say yes it does. But perhaps not the ones most people think. You don't need to know everything about everything. You just need to be open to learning new things.

Home schooling requires you to listen to your kids. Follow their lead and provide a healthy, functional, stable home life for them. Also, in my opinion, no one should home school a child who wants to go to school. It needs to be their choice (for people to take their kids out of the system). My eldest daughter went to school for the first 3 grades and was excited to never go back again.

With kids coming to her school with weapons (and this is in peaceful Canada) - being shunned by some of the kids in her class and made to feel 'stupid' by her teachers cause she wasn't a good speller... she was stagnating and was losing her 'power' in the school system. Within months of beginning to home school people asked me what changed in her life cause she was so happy all the time. She literally glowed!

She has continued glowing and is now a productive, functional, healthy member of society… she worked at the same place for over 2 years and has now left that job and has moved on to new challenges in her life. Quite simply, I couldn't be more proud of how she's turned out.

So my perspective on parenting, although I am saddened it's so unique - is definitely uniquely ours!

shared with light,
Aleesha



Aleesha Stephenson is the Publisher, Editor, Graphic and Web Designer as well as a Regular Columnist for Timeless Spirit Magazine.

She is also the Executive Director and Publicist for "Magi's Magick Spells".

An Eclectic Wiccan Practitioner, Reiki Master/Teacher and Faery Shaman, she home-schools two of her three spiritually enlightened children as her eldest has graduated and moved on to the school of life. Friend (and mother) to them all, she is also a life-partner to her husband David. Her life truly is filled with light.

You can contact Aleesha via email.

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