Parents Slammed For 'Unschooling' Kids, Not Teaching Them To Read And Write

Different parents go about educating their children in different ways. Some send their kids to public school, others to private school and a few prefer to just homeschool. But one couple's unique manner of teaching their kids has has raised some eyebrows and gotten them a lot of criticism.

Matt and Adele Allen have been using "child autonomy" with their three kids. That means they let 4-year-old Kai, 8-year-old Ostara and 12-year-old Ulysses decide their own curriculum, meal times, menus, bedtimes and chores, so no public or private schooling. Adele explained to Caters, "We don't use the education system. Instead, we unschool our kids. This means they have to show an interest in something for us to explore it with them, instead of following a curriculum and telling them what they are going to learn."

Along with not trusting the education system, the family, from the U.K., also has turned away from the healthcare system. Adele stated, "We didn’t do vaccinations for our kids, which people say is cruel of us, and we don’t use the healthcare system. Instead, we use natural and herbal remedies." She noted how all of her kids were breastfed until they were at least three, giving them a "good healthy foundation" to be "healthier in the future."

Their "unconventional parenting" encourages the kids to "take governance of their life" and "make their own choices and decide what goes on in their life." Adele said other parents panic when they learn her kids aren't being taught reading or writing, but she lets critics know it all works out in the end. She said, "Our son was 10 years old when he began taking an interest in wanting to read and write. He just picked up pen and paper and taught himself. He wasn’t bothered about us teaching him. Language is all around them, so they are bound to pick it up. With them not being in a classroom setting, there isn't the pressure there to do certain things by a certain age."

Their desire for this lifestyle began before they had kids, as Adele and Matt had gotten into natural living. She said, "It just became a natural progression that continued and began to affect all of our decisions after I fell pregnant." Now, the kids sleep until they wake up, eat whatever they want when they get hungry, do whatever chores they decide to do and go to sleep when they are tired.

As for anyone who thinks the parents are lazy, Adele explained how it is quite the opposite, noting, "We aren't just sending them off to school for teachers to deal with. We have to respond and adapt accordingly to how they're engaging." Adele also said, "We want them to find their passion, and not waste time in their life, so that they know who they are by the time they get around to having kids.”

Some parents support the Allens' unique methods, including others who "unschooled" as well, but many commenters were critical of what Matt and Adele are doing. One wrote, "So the parents got an education but they are denying it to their kids? Small children cannot manage their own daily routine as they are still learning. Not teaching them to read and write, not to mention math and science, is incredibly cruel," while another said, "Sounds like the kids control the parents instead of the other way around." Someone else stated, "I don't believe kids inherently know what is best for them. They need parents to be an example," and another chimed in, "Sure, let the kids make the decisions that will affect them for the rest of their life. After all they have the maturity and life experience necessary, right?"

You can stay up to date with the Allens on their YouTube channel and their Instagram.