FAMILY AND PARENTING | LOUISE ALLAN

12 Good Things About Homeschooling

by Louise Allan | Aug 12, 2013 | FAMILY AND PARENTING, FAVOURITE, WRITING

I didn’t think I’d be able to homeschool. It seemed too huge a responsibility. What if I taught the wrong facts? What if I omitted a vital part of the curriculum? Plus, I hadn’t quit work to start teaching—I had a novel to write. But when one of our sons became really...

On Smacking Kids

by Louise Allan | Jul 28, 2013 | CHILDHOOD ABUSE & TRAUMA, FAMILY AND PARENTING, FAVOURITE, MEMOIR, WRITING

This post is about something personal and very important to me: the physical punishment of children. On Friday, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) issued a Media Release with their Position Statement and brochure on the use of Physical Punishment...

A Letter To My Daughter’s Teacher

by Louise Allan | Apr 11, 2013 | CHILDHOOD ABUSE & TRAUMA, FAMILY AND PARENTING

Dear Miss, You see me and run your fingers through your hair, trying to look nonchalant. I can see that you’re uncomfortable, possibly intimidated: I’m a good 20 years older than you, and my body is rigid, my mouth set. You know that I’ve complained about you and that...

On Squares and Pegs

by Louise Allan | Mar 28, 2013 | FAMILY AND PARENTING, FAVOURITE, WRITING

Oh, to be round and able to fit into that hole that society has for us. Round is neat and smooth and I’m surrounded by round pegs everywhere I look—at my kids’ schools, my old work colleagues, when I go to the shops. People who can slip into the peg holes society...