innocence. it’s a good thing.

This is a post I wrote for my other blog, Eat the Damn Cake, but I wrote it with both blogs in mind. I want my kids to be able to be innocent. Which is why I don’t want them to go to school. Here:

You know what I don’t like? The “real world.”

People sound so mean when they talk about it. Once, an ex-boyfriend who was still hurt yelled at me, “You don’t know anything about the real world!”

I thought of this:

(A street fight. That’s what it sounds like. source)

Or maybe it looks like this:

Whenever people say “the real world,” they mean that there’s another world, a fake one, that someone is trying to live in. And that is always bad.

But I especially dislike it when people talk this way about kids. “They need to learn about the real world.” When people say this about kids, they mean that they’re too sheltered, or too spoiled, or too safe, or too innocent.

Sometimes people defend things as awful as bullying by saying, “Well, it’ll teach them to deal with the real world.”

As though this place called the real world is full of cruel people, just waiting to torment you. What a terrible place! I don’t want to live there!

Click here to read the rest of this post at Eat the Damn Cake!

5 comments to innocence. it’s a good thing.

  • Kristin

    Innocence is a good thing. My unschoolers are 11, 9, and 5. We recently met a new family at a local park, and we moms were talking about things like the heat and the new playground equipment. She mentioned that they homeschooled and I told her that we did too, that we always had. She said, “Oh I knew that. I could tell.” She could tell because my oldest two were sitting in the dirt playing trucks with her 6 year-old and having a great time. “Only homeschooled big kids would do that”, she said. This is the real world for children. They should be playing and exploring and having fun. And they should keep that curiosity forever. It will serve them so well as adults!

  • Beverly

    You don’t read fantasy anymore? Tell me you’re joking.

    • kate

      OK, not completely. Every so often, I do. But mostly I pick up non-fiction and a few literary fiction novels. I can’t find very much fantasy that feels well-written to me, and I’ve become a lot pickier. Any recommendations?

  • I’ve been reading a book on abuse in families and one of the types of abuse can be described as “this is for your own good.” Parents who hit their children, impose severe restrictions, or dole out punishments that are unrelated to the “crime” often use the phrase, “I’m doing this to teach you a lesson.” But does it really? Ask any good therapist and they’ll probably say no. What gets through to kids is not a hard-knock life — they need empathy, respect, and nurturing. Homeschooling in a loving home usually offers those attributes, but most classrooms do not.

  • Val

    What an awesome post! love Val

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