Parenting with Naomi Aldort: Home schooling and self-confidence

A word from Jesper Conrad the Interviewer:
Are you ready to transform your parenting journey and unlock the secret to raising confident and free-thinking children?

In our conversation with parenting expert, author, and counselor Naomi Aldort, we reveal the powerful philosophy of raising ourselves to raise our children, allowing them to flourish in a supportive environment.

Naomi shares her inspiring journey from being a piano teacher to discovering her gift for helping families and the incredible advantages of virtually conducting her transformative retreats.

We also tackle some challenging topics, such as finding a balance between parental expectations and children’s needs, and Naomi’s advice on how couples can work together will provide invaluable guidance.

We go beyond conventional parenting advice and explore the concept of authentic parenting, where Naomi shares how you can recognize those moments when your own thoughts hijack you and how you can use this awareness to create a peaceful environment for your children.

In a thought-provoking discussion about the harmful effects of praise, Naomi emphasizes the importance of providing freedom, allowing children to be themselves, and expressing gratitude in a more specific and empowering way.

Don’t miss this life-changing episode as Naomi Aldort shares her profound wisdom on parenting and personal growth.

Themes covered in this interview:

• Fitting in socially
• Social skills
• Math
• Reading
• Following rules
• Why controlling children backfires
• Finding what to do
• Listen to child
• Intelligence and emotional ease
• Self-direction is strength
• Harm of current public schools:
  • Loss of enthusiasm
  • Emotional suppression
  • Indocrination
  • Manipulation methods in school
  • Obedience that drives the child away from self-reliance
  • Loss of connetion to self
  • FEAR OF ADULTS
  • Learning to get by doing as little as possible
  • Hierarchy and bossing others
  • Disrespect
  • Forced Criteria (fabrication)
  • The hindering effect of peer groups
  • Being told what to do and think
  • Underlying message: Don’t trust yourself. FOLLOW
  • NO autonomy
  • Anti Social skills
  • Thwarts best natural learning
• Silent bad lessons taught in school:
  • Compliance – LOSS OF SELF
  • Become who SOMEONE TELLS YOU to BE
  • Strive for Kudos/grades
  • Comparing to others competitively (division and anxiety)
  • Dependency on approval
  • Not thinking for oneself
  • Being a good sheep is rewarded
  • Go for the pay, reward, praise… not real interest
  • Ignore yourself
  • Have short attention span
  • Compete
  • Training for rat race and for fitting in like sheep
• Alternatives to the traditional school model:
  • Most ’alternative’ schools are not better
  • Waldorf
  • Trying to be Free but aren’t
  • Democratic schools
  • No fear of adults
  • They stop learning when we start teaching
• Child-led learning:
  • Human rights
  • No oppression of the child
  • Emotional freedom
  • The child inventing what to do
  • Inventing how to figure out
  • Toddlers
  • When free, Child pushes oneself
  • SELF discipline
  • exposing, not imposing
  • Activities and events
  • Volunteering
  • Focus on others; volunteering
  • Physical activity and the outdoors
  • Tatking the path of most challenge
• Better than teaching
  – Our job is to discover the child’s innate guidance and FOLLOW IT
• The idea “schooling” is about training children to be who THEY ARE NOT
• When self directed children are likely to become:
  • Independent and enthusiastic
  • Learn by living
  • Creative
  • Create structure if need
  • Inventive
  • Cooperative and communal
  • socially competent with all ages
  • Responsible
  • Powerful, generating not following
  • Confident & Authentic
  • knowing how to learn

Final thoughts: Raise a child who is Rooted in self (not trained to deny self).