Just got home from our last interstate trip long enough to make a mess of the house and leave again. This time visiting my family in Adelaide.

Lovely to see them. We made a conscious effort to chill out a bit this time round. Made easier because last time we came we were practicing more “protective parenting” for lack of a better term, where we were regulating our daughters food intake, dvd/ tv intake etc etc.. This was challenging because my mothers house has chocolate, chips, ice cream and large screen plasma tvs seemingly at every corner.

So this time round, now we are unregulating food and dvds, things seem much easier. Of course at home our daughter still has greater access to nutritious food choices that she likes, but she is quite effective at eating what she feels is right for her at the time and we are more effective in trusting her.

Although our parenting approach means that we try to take a “longer view” of behaviour, trying to focus on underlying needs rather than rewarding/ punishing particular superficial behaviour… some of that behaviour counts for a lot in my family. Despite a greater sugar intake than usual, our more relaxed approach to being here and trust of our daughter seemed to allow her to relax in turn. So for the first time she actually gave my family hugs & kisses for example (a very big deal in my family).

Interesting how even this had to be on her terms. Rather than responding to what she must perceive as a demand to hug… our daughter refuses but then in her own time pretends to tell people secrets – when they bend down she gives them a kiss and cuddle.

so anyway, its nice to be here despite the constant questions and not to subtle suggestions that we are disadvantaging our daughter by choosing to homeschool. Can imagine things getting more challenging for them as she gets older…

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