[News] It’s Your Call, Kid
The title is from the Globe & Mail's story yesterday about the "consensual living" philosophy as it applies to your little urchins, who are presumed, even the toddlers, to be rational people with at least substantially well-developed senses of perspective. CL says every family member's needs are equally valid, regardless of age. No reward and punishment, no coercion, direct or indirect. Everybody–even the babbling 2-yr-old—is assumed to be in command of himself and to know what's good for him (or to realize that some decisions are beyond his 2-yr-old brain but that he'll have the sense to raise the issue politely with the other members of the family). The Globe & Mail's lede: Savannah Leavey, 6, has worn her Halloween cat costume all the time (except for washing) every day for nearly six months, and mom's fine with this (though mom sounds like she's got an issue or two, herself). Not sure how many devotees there are, but the Yahoo Group has 900 members.Core Principles:
(1) Everyone's wants and needs are equally valid, regardless of age.
(2) Children can be trusted to know their own minds and bodies.
(3) Punishments and rewards are tools of manipulation, unneeded when family members work as a team.
(4) There is a creative solution that works for everyone.
(5) Each family member has a positive intent and desires harmony.
(6) When all are secure that their needs will be met, they will branch out and help others meet their needs.
Globe & Mail (Toronto) /// Consensual-Living.com
Today's Newsrangers: Robert Ward, Garrett Kiefer, Joe Church
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