Changes

We've had a bumpy few days. I was reading on some unschooling boards about a week ago and noticed some things that I was doing that were not necessarily consensual... to me. I was allowing the kids to express themselves in culturally unacceptable ways, ie. yelling at mom. I wasn't necessarily upset by it. I understand they are just frustrated and have difficulty expressing themselves in a calm manner (Don't we all sometimes?). However, I discovered I was giving them a little bit too much leeway. So I started putting an end to the back talk and told them I did not agree to the situation.

It's been hard for them to change things that we all thought were inherent to consensualness. They are rebelling against what they see as rules. Questioning me about how this could possibly be consensual living. Change is hard, but I think it is turning us in a more positive direction. They are seeing me as a stronger person. I think they truly thought saying mean things gave them the upper hand. Since I was not saying mean things back, they saw me as weak. Hopefully this will all shake out in a week or so, and we can all start treating each other a little better.