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Parenting a Free Child: An Unschooled Life
The refreshing new book Parenting a Free An Unschooling Life is written with engaging warmth, exquisite clarity, and a profound insight into parent-child relationships. The author advocates unwavering trust and respect toward children, and the tone of the book shows full respect for the reader. Because Rue sees unschooling as simply "life together", her book offers sensible, effective, and humane solutions to a wide variety of typical parenting concerns.
The question-and-answer format makes it easy to find answers to a multitude of common parenting dilemmas and unschooling questions. A few of the questions covered
Why choose unschooling
Are we qualified to unschool?
Will my kids stop learning if I stop lessons?
Am I spoiling my daughter?
What about socialization?
What is a typical day?
How are your children learning manners?
How do unschooled children learn to read?
The question-and-answer format makes it easy to find answers to a multitude of common parenting dilemmas and unschooling questions. A few of the questions covered
Why choose unschooling
Are we qualified to unschool?
Will my kids stop learning if I stop lessons?
Am I spoiling my daughter?
What about socialization?
What is a typical day?
How are your children learning manners?
How do unschooled children learn to read?
165 pages
First published January 1, 2005
6 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 19, 2014
I wish this book were more... something. I can't put my finger on it but it was simultaneously awesome and not satisfying. It was a lot of great blog posts on how to respond to people asking all the classic retarded questions about unschooling. Kream does a great job. She is clear, concise and thoughtful. Perhaps she doesn't analyze or organize her thoughts as much as I would like but some of her responses are so similar to things I myself have actually written about, how can I complain? She also has learned some NVC and though there is plenty of judgement in this book, there is also a lot of "This Is Just My Story" which I appreciate a lot.
The only thing I really learned from this book was that this mom, who is raising her kids extremely similarly to how I am raising Anders, is having a great time, has great kids and... that I have nothing to worry about. I wondered if, given the chance, kids would watch TV all day or if given the option to have cookies and candies for every meal they would and she answers those questions for me. But I knew the technical answers already. What I want is more real life stories. I got that a little from this book but not as much as I would like.
One thing I found very interesting about this book is Rue's strong right to joy. She does a lot of crafts with her kids and a lot of fun, entertaining things, like TV and video games and fairs.
Most frustrating thing is that this book was written in 2005 and there are no updates. Would really like to know more about the kids teen years and what they are up to now.
The only thing I really learned from this book was that this mom, who is raising her kids extremely similarly to how I am raising Anders, is having a great time, has great kids and... that I have nothing to worry about. I wondered if, given the chance, kids would watch TV all day or if given the option to have cookies and candies for every meal they would and she answers those questions for me. But I knew the technical answers already. What I want is more real life stories. I got that a little from this book but not as much as I would like.
One thing I found very interesting about this book is Rue's strong right to joy. She does a lot of crafts with her kids and a lot of fun, entertaining things, like TV and video games and fairs.
Most frustrating thing is that this book was written in 2005 and there are no updates. Would really like to know more about the kids teen years and what they are up to now.
January 14, 2009
I really loved this book. We are just now wrapping our minds around the ideas presented by radical unschooling and this book is the perfect starting point for parents interested in learning more. The format is really excellent, too - it's written as a series of questions/problems and answers and most don't exceed 2 pages. This is a boon for busy parents who can catch a few minutes here and there to read and get interrupted frequently. I admit that sometimes I felt like her two kids represent the platonic ideal of children, but I was able to get past that feeling and get at the underlying wisdom she was offering. Highly recommended.
January 12, 2012
alifeunprocessed.blogspot.com/2012/01...
I don't know if the link will work, but it's to my blog post about how this book made me feel. It's really, really a great example of how we can parent in such a more loving way. It's actually made me worry less about how my kids are turning out, which enables me to enjoy them for who they are. Or maybe it works the other way, and I am worrying less because I'm enjoying them more. Either way, this book had a lot to do with it and I recommend it for any parent, anyone interested in unschooling, and even anyone already unschooling. It's full of great reminders for all of us.
I don't know if the link will work, but it's to my blog post about how this book made me feel. It's really, really a great example of how we can parent in such a more loving way. It's actually made me worry less about how my kids are turning out, which enables me to enjoy them for who they are. Or maybe it works the other way, and I am worrying less because I'm enjoying them more. Either way, this book had a lot to do with it and I recommend it for any parent, anyone interested in unschooling, and even anyone already unschooling. It's full of great reminders for all of us.
July 25, 2012
I love this book - it's simple and easy to read, whilst also being very clear about the core principles of unschooling. I own a copy, I know I do, but I rarely see it, as it is always on loan to someone. It's also a great book to give to grandparents etc to help them understand a little about this weird life you have chosen - it's written in a straightforward, logical and non-threatening way,so does a better job of explaining unschooling than I am ever able to do when faced with the inevitable barrage of questions!
December 22, 2022
Despite having “unschooled” in the title, this book is mostly a basic treatise on respectful parenting. The Q and A format makes for quick and digestible reading in the instagram era, but it becomes painfully repetitive as the questions represent every conceivable angle of authoritarian parenting, with the respectful parenting responses often repeated verbatim (it’s unclear if the questions were submitted by real parents or if the author made them up). There’s not much to shock readers, especially ones familiar with the basic tenets of respectful parenting. Even her more “radical” pronouncements tend to come down to semantics (“We don’t have any rules, just things we all agree on to keep everyone safe”).
One thing I noticed and respected: the conviction with which she writes about her own life and actions. Writing way back in 2005, she was not subject to today’s rules that demand you offer a disclaimer and apology, i.e. “Before I go on I must confess that I have a structurally sound house, a supportive partner, food in the fridge, etc. so anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. Furthermore, my ability to live out my convictions is only possible because of the unjust treatment of the following groups…” She has her beliefs, she owns them, she acts on them. May we all feel as empowered to captain our own ships with such conviction.
One thing I noticed and respected: the conviction with which she writes about her own life and actions. Writing way back in 2005, she was not subject to today’s rules that demand you offer a disclaimer and apology, i.e. “Before I go on I must confess that I have a structurally sound house, a supportive partner, food in the fridge, etc. so anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. Furthermore, my ability to live out my convictions is only possible because of the unjust treatment of the following groups…” She has her beliefs, she owns them, she acts on them. May we all feel as empowered to captain our own ships with such conviction.
May 20, 2025
While I don’t agree with everything written in the book, I wanted to read about this perspective because I truly believe in letting children be free spirits. Many things I’ve already read/agree with but was a great reminder to continue to hold to our values. Even the things I disagree with challenged my thinking and allowed me to see another perspective I wasn’t considering before. Overall a great reminder to truly examine WHY we do the things we do and say, especially when it comes to kids.
May 3, 2015
I can't remember how I came across this one, but I'm glad I did. Kream wrote the book in a question-and-answer format, addressing concerns about the unschooling lifestyle. It's not clear whether the questions/scenarios in the book are "real" or if Kream wrote them herself, but either way I'd say her responses cover all of the basics. I appreciated most of what she had to say and agreed with more of it than I would have a year ago when I started thinking about a school-free life, but some of it was still too extreme for me. She takes a very all-or-nothing view of the unschooling life, which I don't agree with, but I think she explains her position thoroughly and gave me a lot to think about.
April 6, 2015
There were parts of this book that I really liked, and I know there are lots of fans of this book in the unschooling community. It did not resonate with me as much. I get the sense that the author's children are fairly calm, laid back children and that is not my family. I would have liked a bit more substance on relationships that are a little more highly charged.
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June 10, 2014I am still processing this book ... so I can't rate it yet.
While I enjoyed the informal Q&A style and so many of the author's points ... there are still some concepts I'm struggling to wrap my mind around.
While I enjoyed the informal Q&A style and so many of the author's points ... there are still some concepts I'm struggling to wrap my mind around.
February 25, 2008
This is the first parenting book I've read that made me wish I could go back 15 years and start all over. This should be required reading for anyone having a baby! Free the children!
June 1, 2009
Very inspirational as we progress forward on the unschooling path. I will be ordering this book for my real-life book shelf!
April 8, 2011
Great answers to all those questions I get asked.
June 9, 2019
Great book. Words to live by!
March 14, 2013
This is one of my favorite books on unschooling. It really changed the way that I thought as a parent, in a wonderful way.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews