I was very pleasantly surprised when I was handed this book to review. As a subscriber to Natural Life Magazine, whose publisher is the same as this book, Life Media, I was familiar with the unschooling (or Life Learning) principals the author was instilling in his children. It was a book on my To Read List.
The book is a memoir of about 1 year in the life of the Bergeron Family, mainly focusing on the daily adventures of Leandre, and his 3 teen daughters. He also describes how they came to their life learning journey, life on the family farm with his home Bakery and in town store.
I loved the book. It really helped me to cement my ideas on Life Learning, and following my children’s need to be children. To often adults push children into our world too fast, and then wonder why our kids are forced to deal with adult issues too soon. I loved how he respected the needs of each child as an individual, with their own rhythms and schedules, without coercion. The girls demonstrated intense knowledge on the real workings of the world; where our food comes from, how it is made, the value of real work. By allowing his girls to come to him to help with the workings of the farm, instead of being coerced into it, they showed a remarkable love and dedication to tasks at hand, and a deeper love, devotion, and respect for their parents.
My only regret, one year was not enough. You become so immersed in the inner workings of the family, and emotionally invested in the family through the passionate writings. It was over too quickly. This book is a must read for any parent interested in attachment parenting at its best, and the subtle, yet powerful, teaching methods of life learning.
Lindsay Matthews
Lindsay’s Website: www.bellies2babies.com
To Contact Lindsay: Bellies2babies@rogers.com
Lindsay is a Certified Birth Doula in London, Ontario. She is an attachment parenting, ‘extended’ breastfeeding, co-sleeping, cloth diapering, home birthing, urban homesteader mother of 3 busy children, 6 chickens, a dog, a cat and a husband that just shakes his head at everything she does.
