A few days ago, it was my husband Andy’s birthday and our children gave him a lot of superhero-themed gifts: an Iron Man t-shirt, the original Hulk DVD and matching socks, a Captain America shirt and a Superman towel. Perfect presents for Andy who is our superhero. [/bigletter]
I was thinking about superheroes while I was writing my book Curious Unschoolers. One of the last stories in the book is called Does the World Need Unschooling?
Here’s part of it:
I think we are all born with the desire to do something meaningful with our lives. We want to make a difference. Just look at young children playing. They dress up as superheroes. They flap their capes and jump from chairs ready to save the world. Parents smile indulgently. Kids are cute. It’s a delightful stage of life.
Of course, things change. School days arrive. Life gets serious. There’s no time to imagine and dream and make plans to save the world. The capes and masks and tights are left in the dress-up box. They’re no longer needed. Their owners are growing up. They have their minds on other things. They’ve learnt that they’re not going to be superheroes after all. They have discovered that they have to fulfil other people’s expectations. That’s going to keep them very busy.
But what would happen if we didn’t keep kids busy by making them do what we feel is important? What if we gave them time to find out what they are good at, what they enjoy doing, and what they could achieve? Would they set themselves goals? Would they choose to work hard doing things that are important to them, things they believe in?
Would they still think they can save the world?
In the above photo, Andy is wearing a Red Bubble sweatshirt which is decorated with an image designed by our daughter Charlotte.
Did you hear how Charlotte created her Red Bubble shop? One day, not so long ago, Charlotte and Sophie were chatting about gym clothes. Sophie expressed a desire for a t-shirt decorated with a weight-lifting girl. Perhaps she said, “Charlotte, you could design one for me! If you create a Red Bubble shop, you could upload the design and I could order a t-shirt.” All I know is that a few hours later, Charlotte had drawn a weight-lifting girl with hair the same colour as Sophie’s. She uploaded her design into her newly created Red Bubble shop. Then she made her first sale when Sophie ordered a t-shirt.
Here’s a Red Bubble girl wearing Charlotte’s version of Sophie lifting a very heavy weight:
When I saw Charlotte’s shop, I said, “You could draw some designs for me too! We could have a Stories of an Unschooling Family shop. We could have mugs and bags and t-shirts with the Curious Unschoolers image. How about we add words such as Trust, Respect and Love Unconditionally? Or maybe Live Radically, Love Unconditionally?”
Charlotte liked my shop idea and she got to work creating some Stories of an Unschooling Family merchandise. Merchandise? Doesn’t that sound grand?
A couple of weeks ago, while we were visiting my son Callum, Sophie told her brother about Charlotte’s shop. “Charlotte drew a girl lifting weights. It’s me! Why don’t you ask her to draw you doing something?”
It wasn’t long before Charlotte posted this on Instagram:
This newest addition to my Cute Gym collection was requested by my brother. This weight lifting design was somehow commissioned, designed, edited, and completed via a text message exchange. I’m pleased with the result and thankfully so is my brother.
Last night, I asked, “Has Callum ordered anything from Charlotte’s shop?” It seems he hasn’t. I think it’s time to send him a text message: “Hey, Callum, what would you like? A mug? A t-shirt? A case for your phone? How about a hoodie?”
Charlotte has a whole shop of designs suitable for t-shirts, mugs, notebooks, phone cases, tote bags etc. Why not check out her IG account @charlotte.elvis ? Or go direct to her shop. So far, Charlotte has a cute gym collection and a cute pets collection, but I’m sure she’d be willing to draw anything. If you have a special request, she’d be happy to design it for you.
So Charlotte is working hard using her talents while doing something she enjoys. But is she saving the world? I guess she could be spreading joy. Sophie smiled when she received her t-shirt in the mail. And then her travel mug appeared. Followed by her phone case. I think she received a notebook as well.
And then I smiled when my tote bag landed on our doorstep.
Do you think the words on the bag will help spread the message about unconditional love?
We added this description to our shop:
Spread the word about unschooling and unconditional love with a gift from the Stories of an Unschooling Family shop!
Wouldn’t it be good if one of Charlotte’s brilliant designs brought unschooling into someone’s life? That could change everything.
So I’m wondering
Have you ever bought anything from a Red Bubble shop?
Do you have any words about unschooling that would be perfect for one of our designs?
And who is your family’s favourite superhero?
PS: Wouldn’t Charlotte’s cute designs look good on kidswear? If you check Charlotte’s shop in a day or two you might see her boys and girls and pets on kid-sized t-shirts!
