Barefoot in November. Parenting the Summerhill way.
This book’s stories and conclusions draw on Zoë’s experiences in the school and her family. She suggests that some aspects of the Summerhill way of bringing up children and young people are highly relevant for family life today and adds unequivocally: ‘Remain on the side of the child.’
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ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE SUMMERHILL TRUST
Reviewed by: Emanuele Santanché — esantanche@gmail.com
Barefoot in November by Zoe Neill Readhead is the most beautiful book on parenting I have ever read.
You find it here: https://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/shop/p/barefootinnovemberparentingthe summerhillway and it’s delivered worldwide.
I even prefer it to Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn, which is very good.
The author is the headmistress of the Summerhill school, the school that teaches happiness and peace before mathematics and literature.
Zoe says: “Treat your children with the kind of respect that you would show an adult and as you would like to be respected yourself.”
Imagine that an adult, for example a friend, comes to visit you. Would you do one of the following things to your friend?
Beat him
Shout at him
Force him to eat food he doesn’t like
Terrify him
Criticize him for every small thing
Give him orders without explaining the reasons or asking his opinion
Punish him
Another sentence that really struck me is the following.
“If society treated any other group of people the way it treats its children there would be an outcry.”