Play, purpose and unschooling. Roya Dedeaux is a licensed marriage and family therapist, professor and grown unschooler. She and her husband also homeschool their 2 children.
Roya believes in the importance of play for all ages. Through her work, she inspires others to become more playful and create stronger connection.
She doesn’t just talk about it, she lives it. Her expertise and hobbies are many but they all intersect to make a beautiful, meaningful life. Roya credits this to growing up unschooled. She also credits her parents for supporting her interests, passions and play. By doing this, she says, they were a large part in helping her reach her greater purpose.
Play, Purpose and Unschooling
In this episode we talked about:
Growing up Unschooled
Why her parents chose the unschooling life for their family. The benefits and challenges that growing up unschooled brought. The joy and creativity. Being able to do all the things with a large amount of time. Friendships with varied ages and entire families. What has changed in the homeschooling community. The reasons why Roya’s family is creating their own unschooling path.
The Importance of Play, Mental Health and Relationships
The greatest impacts on a child’s development, success and resilience; the relationships that surround them. The benefits of free play. Gamefulness (the feeling of being able to take things on as a challenge as opposed to a threat). Why having trust in your child helps them to learn to have trust in themselves. Neural pruning. Video games and why playing violent video games and watching violent shows are not the same.
Her Advice To Parents That Are Trying To Do It All
In Roya’s practice she works with many families that are juggling the pressures of the world. She helps families reconnect. Roya talked about choosing what is important and helping your child feel supported. Relationships and mental health. Homework and how to deal with it. How important is high school? The Pressure of High School and The Changing Face of College. Her life mission.
Roya’s passion and excitement for life and helping others is clear. I can hear it in her voice. Her dedication to her family and to the families that she supports are evident. I see the connection between the trust her parents gave her and how that has helped develop her life today. It’s an encouragement for many of us that may doubt this natural learning path.
Resources
Protect Their Passions Workbook
Free To Be Unschooling Conference
Peter Gray episode on Honey! I’m Homeschooling The Kids
The Decline of Play and Rise in Children’s Mental Disorders- Peter Gray
Support me through Patreon~ https://www.patreon.com/honeyimhomeschoolingthekids
