Photo Credit: Alanis Morissette/Instagram
While a lot of parents are seeing just what their parents have to deal with in schooling their children, the ones who probably are sitting back laughing are the ones who were already home schooling. That would include Alanis Morissette. And not only is she home schooling, she’s been doing it for years. The part that makes us feel for her is that after spending the entire day with your kids, the least you should be able to do is go out and get some fresh air for a change in environment. So imagine her now being at home all day with her children.
In an interview with Health Magazine, she talked about what she describes as “un-schooling” and that is essentially where the children choose their schedule and direct what they want to work on. As what some would call a spoiled kid growing up, my original reaction to this is that it’s not just a bad idea, it’s a horrible idea. And I don’t like commenting on how people raise their children. In contrast, the good part about it is that parents are often known for telling children no to what they’re genuinely interested in and talking down what life direction they want to go in. So the fact she listens to her children, that’s really the most of what matters.
“Unschooling, for me, is child-led education,” she told the magazine. So if there’s some agenda like, ‘Let’s play with these magnet tiles,’ and my daughter is like, ‘F–k those tiles. I want to put glitter on that thing and cut the tree,’ boom — we do that.” Her kids, Ever, 9, Onyx, 3, and Winter, 7 months she shares with rapper husband Mario ‘Souleye’ Treadway, who shes been married to almost a decade now. And unlike other sensible parents like Kristen Bell, who teaches their children at the dining room table, Morissette and her husband teach their children all over the house.
“My husband and I create pods all over the house — here’s where the spelling area is, and here’s where the fake animals are,” the “Ironic” singer said. “There’s probably a better definition of un-schooling, but there’s no rigidity to it.” She said that “un-schooling” requires 24/7 learning which she admits might not be the best for all parents.
“If my son is going to bed late on tour and he asks me three really huge, existential questions, there’s no, ‘Ah, we’ll talk about it in the morning.’ That is the moment,” the Canadian star explained. “When I share with people that I un-school, a lot of people I’m close with say they’d love to do it but just can’t. And I get it. I’m like, ‘Yes. I understand, and I think it’s a smart choice not to do it.’ It’s a major commitment.”
Listen, I give this woman credit for the commitment. It might lead to some scheduling issues in the future, but that’s nothing they can’t work on. There’s not many parents willing to go the extent to school their children and have a career. And given how she’s been very open and public about post partum depression she experienced after having all of her children including suicidal thoughts, it’s amazing she even volunteers to spend so much time around them. Alanis, if you’d like to adopt a grown son, just know I’m open to it. I kid, I kid.
