Radical Unschooling
It is usually the reaction we get when people find out that our untrained children to have a “bed time”. Most of us grew up with the imposed bed time, and the conviction that good parents ensure that their children get enough sleep and keeping in view the introduction of time in bed.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll realize that this thinking is full of unexamined assumptions. Let us go to bed at five, to consider assumptions before we talk about the peaceful parents or the radical approach to school …
Assumption 1: Children do not understand the feeling of fatigue.
Babies can recognize this feeling, and if allowed to follow their natural rhythm is usually asleep easily. Children lose touch with this innate ability during the time that artificial bed times are imposed, and they are formed to lie about in bed when they are tired because it was “time to sleep.”
Assumption # 2: Children ignore their body needs to sleep, because they want to stay.
There are certain stages of development when children are very motivated to stay awake and to resist sleep. If children sleep on the stage, her natural desire when they are tired of moving back. Of course there are times when all that happens is exciting cut too short.
We adults also experience this. Sometimes the movie is just too good to turn off, the book is to lay it down, or go to a chat with a friend is fun. But it is the exception not the rule.
State # 3: children are not willing to bed.
We could go be tempted to think that we are indeed some evidence for this protest, in the form of our children’s bed, repeatedly getting out of bed or call us at any time. But we were wrong. Children are ready to go to bed when they are tired and ready for their activities. Only when we send the kids to bed when they are tired or when they are busy with something, they protest.
State # 4: All children have the same amount of sleep – and it’s bad.
It is true that most children need more sleep than adults, but there is no “one size fits all” magic number Genuine attention – - If you pay attention you will see that each child has his own ideal amount of sleep, and it varies from child to child.
Assumption # 5: Early to bed and wake up early is better than getting to bed late and wake up later.
Sleep is sleep. Sure, we have to respect our natural rhythms and the circadian clock. Because the whole night and sleep during the fairs. But a child who sleeps 7:30 to 6:30 is not always better sleep quality is one of the eleven hours 10:00 to 09:00 clock. The tendency to prefer more time to bed earlier than other people’s needs, not the child. Parents can end a long day, tired and want a little time. School starts early and well-educated children are expected to be punctual and attentive in the morning when the bell rings to make.
Make no mistake: no bed time does not mean that our house (or school or radical formation) is a free-for-all, party-till-you-drop kind of place. Instead, it’s peaceful, natural – not always – but more often than not.