I am starting the second week of the Peaceful Parenting series with an interview with Scott Lolmaugh of Dadosaurus Rex – Adventures of an Unschooled Dinosaur Family. I love Scott’s message about unschooling, and in a culture where most children go to school, I think we really need more unschooling families to show that yes, unschooling can work, and it can be what’s best for a child. I couldn’t wrap my head around it before having kids, but my 4 year old showed me that children really learn everything they need easily, and often without our assistance in the proper environment. He is now 4 and a proficient reader with an amazing vocabulary. Did I sit and teach him things according to a curriculum? No. He is the one who led me as I let him explore his interests. You can get more Dadosaurus Rex on Facebook, on his unschooling blog, and his other blogs, Do You Believe That (Inspiration, motivation, and meditation via words, drawings and pictures) and Adventures in ADHD (Posts about living with Adult ADHD)
Joanna Steven: If you had to define peaceful parenting in a sentence or two, what would you say?
Dadosorus Rex: Treating your children with love, empathy, and respect.
Joanna Steven: You meet a parent interested in peaceful parenting. List 2-3 baby steps to help them move away from mainstream patterning.
Dadosorus Rex:
1. Relax, breathe, and remember that you don’t always have to intervene to be a good parent.
2. Put a space between your thoughts and your actions. When you feel the need to discipline your child, ask yourself, “How will I feel about this in an hour? Tomorrow? in a month? In a year?”
Joanna Steven: Peaceful parenting isn’t always easy. List 1 or 2 challenges you faced as a new parent while trying to parent peacefully, and how you overcame them.
Dadosorus Rex: I am still trying to overcome all the bad habits that my kids picked up from me when I was a less than peaceful parent.
One of my biggest concerns when I first started to try peaceful parenting was what other people would think about me and my children. I’ve now realized that a) Most people don’t really care what you choose to do with your children b) the people who do are going to find something to complain about anyway.
Joanna Steven: Often, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel! List one parenting book that influenced you and that you’d recommend to others. It’s not exactly a parenting book, but I would highly recommend Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child” to any parent.
Joanna Steven: Name 1 or 2 people who inspire you to be a peaceful parent. Famous or not!
Dadosorus Rex: My wife, Sarah!
Joanna Steven: Parenting is easier when you’re happy! List 2-3 things that bring joy to your parenting journey.
Dadosorus Rex: Getting outside. I love to be out in nature with my kids. It’s relaxing for all of us. 2. Just sitting back and watching the kids grow, learn, and create.
You will find a list of all the interviews in the Peaceful Parenting series here.
