A Journey of Growth: Christian Elliot on Homeschooling and Emotional Intelligence
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A Journey of Growth: Christian Elliot on Homeschooling and Emotional Intelligence
Show Notes
Navigating Health, Grief, and the Impact of Homeschooling: A Conversation with Christian Elliot
In this episode, Elaine Lindsay speaks with Christian Elliot, a professional health coach with 20 years of experience focusing on holistic health. Christian shares his insights on mental, emotional, and spiritual health, recounting experiences of his homeschool community dealing with the sudden loss of a peer's parent due to suicide. They discuss the importance of integrating mental health conversations into daily life, the challenges of public schooling versus homeschooling, and the concept of building a robust and emotionally resilient educational environment at home. Elaine and Christian emphasize the need for support systems, community bonds, and the critical role of parents in their children's education and mental well-being.
00:00 Introduction and Mission
01:46 Meet Christian Elliot
02:14 Christian's Approach to Health Coaching
03:57 Dealing with Grief and Loss
05:08 Impact of a Community Tragedy
06:14 Changing the Language Around Suicide
11:03 The Importance of Conversations
15:58 Homeschooling and Community
20:14 Balancing Technology and Outdoor Play
24:54 Homeschooling During COVID-19
26:43 Overcoming Self-Doubt in Homeschooling
27:03 Building a Supportive Learning Community
28:20 Cultivating Patience and Virtue
29:28 Adapting to Different Learning Paces
31:37 Homeschooling Systems and Structures
33:58 Balancing Work and Homeschooling
34:28 Raising Competent and Independent Children
35:56 The Importance of Systems Thinking
41:21 Addressing Mental Health in Homeschooling
45:09 Final Thoughts and Reflections
Bio
Christian Elliot
Holistic health coach | Podcaster | Family man
Co-owner TRUE Whole Human and Healing United
Check out my podcast: Deconstructing Conventional
Christian has been full-time in the “alternative” health space since 2005, logging about 20,000 hours of 1-1 coaching—fitness, nutrition, life, and relationship coaching. He is a co-owner of a newly established organization called Healing United—a Private Membership Association that is a collaboration between doctors and coaches working to turn healthcare on its head by focusing on healing instead of treatment.
Christian's main focus is on creating holistic and personalized detox programs to help people overcome a myriad of otherwise "incurable" diseases. He also hosts a podcast called Deconstructing Conventional and has been a guest on dozens of shows. Christian is a husband and father of six, homeschooled kids. He also has a Master of Divinity from Fuller Seminary.
Links & Socials
Healing United - https://www.healingunited.today/home
Reverse Any Chronic Illness in Three Steps - https://truewholehuman.kartra.com/page/qvg274
Deconstructing Conventional Podcast - https://www.healingunited.today/podcast
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/truewholehuman/
Facebook - https://www.faceb ook.com/people/Healing-United/61558869901392/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/truechristianelliot/
©2025-2018 Elaine Lindsay SZF42.com All rights reserved.
https://suicide-zen-forgiveness.captivate.fm/episode/a-journey-of-growth-christian-elliot-on-homeschooling-and-emotional-intelligence
Elaine Lindsay
Explicit
Transcript
Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Shattering
stigma igniting Hope I'M, Elaine
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:lindsay and my mission is to end
the stigma and the shame surrounding
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:suicide ideation and mental health.
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:We talk about the hard stuff because
asking for help should be as.
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:ordering coffee.
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:Here we share real stories from
those who've lost someone survived
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:an attempt , live with ideation or
battle mental health challenges.
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:Because sharing your burden
can lighten the load . Please
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:note, suicide zen forgiveness.
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:The podcast is for education only.
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:Some of the subject matter could be
triggering for those who are either
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:grieving or having mental health problems.
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:If you are in North America, you can
text 9 8 8 for immediate support.
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:And if you are elsewhere, please reach
out to your local suicide hotline for
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:mental health service, you matter.
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:My aim is to normalize the
conversation so you feel safe
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:enough to speak up and ask for help.
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:So now let's start the show.
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:Hello there, and I'm very
happy to be back with you.
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:I am Elaine Lindsay,
and this is Suicide Zen
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:Forgiveness.
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:Today my guest is Christian Elliott.
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:Hi there.
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:Christian Elliot: Hello there.
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:Thanks for having me.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Oh I'm very
happy to have you come on the show.
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:We're going to jump right ahead in
and give you a chance to tell us a
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:little bit about you and what you
do, and then we'll get into the story
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:that you're gonna share with us today,
and we'll just we'll go from there.
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:So Christian, tell us about you.
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:Christian Elliot: Thanks
for the opportunity.
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:So yeah, so she said, my name's Christian.
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:I've been a professional health
coach for about 20 years.
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:My sweet spot is really just helping
people find the reasons why they're sick.
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:I go after root causes and.
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:One of the things I've identified over
the years is that it's often just the
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:mental, emotional, spiritual realm as much
or more than it is the physical realm.
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:And so my background is as much in
nutrition and fitness and then holistic
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:health with alternative practitioners.
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:And really, we built a
team of wellness people.
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:And then in 2017 we just transitioned
to virtual coaching and really
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:I grew my business around life
coaching and relational coaching
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:and helping people overcome.
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:The big mental and emotional
toxins that are often what bog
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:people down and steal their joy.
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:It steals their motivation.
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:It steals their will to try and it
fills with them instead with who cares?
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:Why bother?
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:What does it matter if I
do or don't do this thing?
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:And sometimes it's just simple little.
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:Motivation fluctuations
that people go through.
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:And other times it's, existential crises
and fear that there's no point and that
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:there's no believable outcome that's
good enough or that would be possible.
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:And so I just don't pursue with enough
intent or enough with energy, the things
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:of that would lead to a better life.
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:And so that is really a lot of what
I do on the day-to-day is we've got,
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:several different themed coaching
calls throughout the week, and
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:one of them is specifically for.
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:Emotional and relational intelligence
to help people have really just a
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:safe space to talk about the ups and
downs of life and where we got these
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:ideas that we live by and the core
stories we're telling ourselves.
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:And so that's a little window
into what I do on the day to day.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Thank you.
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:I appreciate that.
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:And I'm sure within that, that spirit
of influence you cover probably a
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:lot of grief with people as well.
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:Grief can hit us through something
as horrific as suicide loss or
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:ideation or our own mental health.
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:It can also be the loss of
a job, the loss of a pet.
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:All of these things can cause us to.
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:Allow grief to take over.
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:And that's why Thank you.
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:We need coaches and mentors and people
who help you deal with these things
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:that although our day to day can be.
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:A huge stopping block in our lives.
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:I'm definitely one who knows that
because I basically sat on the edge of
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:my life for almost 40 years and that's
no way to keep on living for sure.
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:I.
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:We talked for just a few minutes
before you came on, and we touched
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:on the fact that your community, I
guess it's children that are being
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:taught has recently suffered a loss.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah, it was our,
we have a homeschool community that
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:we've belonged to for several years,
and recently there was a there's
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:a family that is part of that.
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:Community.
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:And during the school day, they
got word that the dad in the family
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:committed suicide and he had just
been, at church the day before.
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:And so there's this wave of shock
that went through a campus of,
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:dozens and dozens of people.
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:Wow.
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:And, it word spreads quickly and
leaves all sorts of question marks for.
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:So many people of so many ages.
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:And so yeah, we've had to we've had a
handful of conversations around here
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:that have been just reminding us of
what's important in life and to not take
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:things for granted, to not leave things
unsaid and to just have a little bit
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:more attunement to other people's needs.
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:And just the genuine recognition
that everyone you meet is
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:going through something and.
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:Just because they may put on a face on
the outside doesn't mean there's not
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:something significant going on underneath.
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:So yeah, that's, that one hit home in a
different way than hearing about it on
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:the news or hearing the statistics of it.
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:It's just that, yeah, it's
more personal that way.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: I'm gonna
stop you there and do forgive me but
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:this is something we run into a lot
is the languaging around suicide.
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:Has.
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:Changed.
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:And sadly it's so recent that I've been
talking about this with our community
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:because it's been happening an awful lot.
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:The term committed suicide.
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:That was an actual fact.
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:It wasn't just something we said,
it was said because attempting
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:suicide was in fact a crime.
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:And in the United States, most
of the states gave it up as a
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:crime in this 1966, I believe.
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:And here in Canada, we gave it up in 72.
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:As people who watched the show know, I
t my friend new Year's Eve of:
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:And in fact, part of.
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:My angst and my reluctance to
deal with this was because people
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:still considered it a crime.
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:People are very easily triggered now,
and we all have to be more cognizant of
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:the things that hurt those that are left
behind because no one wants to feel that.
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:Their loved one is a criminal.
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:And the fact is, for those 40 years that
I talked about, the silence, the stigma,
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:and the shame surrounding suicide has
kept people like me, tons of people quiet
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:about the people that we have lost, and I
really thank you very much for allowing me
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:to share that with you and let you know.
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:You know what the changes are.
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:I will say this and the very sad
thing is it is still on the books in
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:Virginia to this day, and there are
many other countries around the world.
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:That attempted suicide is
still considered a crime.
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:We all hope that one day, that
in itself will change, but for
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:now we do what we can here.
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:And I'm sorry to interrupt you as I did,
do you deal with the children that are
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:homeschooled, I would assume are all ages.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah,
there's quite a range.
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:It goes from, basically kindergarten
through 12, and so there's no I don't
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:think any age that was, I don't know
the, how all the families handled it,
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:but yeah, pretty much families of any,
or kids of any age had to deal with the,
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:the quick spread of concerning news and
sobs and yeah, and just questions of.
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:Why are people crying and what's going on?
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:And that's, yeah, it's
ever fun and ever expected.
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:And but it's, in some ways it's,
it has bonded people to each other
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:in ways that, you need support
when things like that happened.
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:And yeah it's, that was
a heavy one to deal with.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Oh, absolutely.
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:And I know.
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:I very quickly said to you before it's
one thing when you're coaching people
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:through grief and helping people with
loss and with challenges with their mental
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:health, but it takes on a whole different
nuance when it comes very close to home.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah, no,
it floors you a little bit.
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:When I first heard that, it's
just you and they didn't drop the
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:phone, but you have a moment of.
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:I don't have words for this.
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:I don't know, I don't, there wasn't
a context for someone doing something
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:like that within our community.
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:And so you just, you take a deeper
breath, you take a breath where your eyes
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:water and you just shake your head and
say, what in the world just happened?
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:And yeah, there's initially for, at
least for me and probably my family,
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:there was more silence and questions.
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:Silence before questions even came and
just, the hug and the appreciation for
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:those of us that are still here and that,
wow, if none of us saw that coming, what,
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:who, are there any, is there anybody else
we know who may have something like that?
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:And what could we do to bring hope
and perspective and healing to our
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:community through something like that?
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: That is,
that's such a wonderful response because
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:the first response is always shock.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
Know in, in denial.
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:And it just like, how could this
be asking the questions that people
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:will forever ask, what did we miss?
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:What did we not see?
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:How did we not know
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:That he felt that way.
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:And the fact is.
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:You are never gonna get the
answers to those questions.
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:We just don't.
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:But what it does do is open the
door for more conversations.
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:Even at the young child level
of what are the thoughts that
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:go through people's heads?
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:Because quite often in the case
of ideation, I was a child,
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:I didn't know what it was.
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:I had no idea why.
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:Sometimes if something went wrong, if
I burnt my toast or I didn't get a,
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:an a on an exam, part of me thought,
oh, then I should just exit this life.
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:There was, it didn't make any
sense to me, but I didn't know that
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:other people didn't feel that way.
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:And, I'm a baby boomer, so the time I
was a child, things were very different.
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:And you sure didn't say things out loud.
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:You saw what happened to people who did,
and that made us all that much quieter.
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:For now, it is so important.
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:I don't know about in your coaching,
but being able to speak about
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:suicide and being able to ask people.
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:How their mental health is
probably one of the biggest ways
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:you can help with prevention.
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:Just as a neighbor, a
friend, a schoolmate.
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:Just checking in on those around
you is one of those things.
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:I don't think we do enough.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah
I would agree with you.
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:I like to think a large part of
my work is as much a dispenser
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:of hope as it is anything else.
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:And I I'm dependably positive.
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:I am very difficult to discourage,
and I think people can sense that
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:it's not manufactured, that there's
some place that comes from and.
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:For them to be curious, to have
a con, like if you're in that
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:funk, to have a contrary example
that people can live in that head
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:space and there is reason to hope.
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:And so part of what, if I have
any effectiveness in that arena,
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:it's as much holding space for and
listening to people's hard stories
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:and often those hard stories.
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:Go back to early childhood events.
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:That could be traumas, that could be
bullies, that could be self images or
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:scary things that happened that weren't
really, had nothing to do with them.
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:Just scared them.
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:And so often the will to try gets
beat down early enough in life.
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:And then when there's a fear to make
an effort it starts to, we shrink.
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:We live smaller lives and
we are afraid to take risks.
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:And part of the way I.
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:Out of that is seeing what I like to
collect what I call outlier stories.
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:I like to collect extreme examples of
people who overcame some of the most
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:difficult circumstances you could imagine.
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:And with enough of those kind of
almost at the ready you it's easier
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:sometimes to paint a picture for someone
of what the human spirit is capable
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:of overcoming and when they find a
strong enough why, when they find a.
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:Belief that, and maybe it's a long shot,
but it's still possible and people like
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:me have overcome something like this.
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:Maybe I could do it too.
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:And that often is the way into a, a little
bit different gear of will, a little bit
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:different juice for Life that will help
them find the will to go on for that day.
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:And a lot of times there's those
waves of overwhelming, you surf them
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:and they pass or those waves of.
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:Whatever that fear is.
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:Yeah.
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:It's, they're not permanent,
they're just, they just needed
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:space for somebody to listen.
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:They just needed belief that things could
be different and some sort of direction
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:of where to aim myself so that I can
increase my odds and find some hope.
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:And yeah I I, whether it's just
giving them examples or whether
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:I go from a Christian perspective
as well, so I can ground their.
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:I can ground a discussion in kinda the
first principles of life and what this
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:whole thing is about and what happens.
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:Where did we come from and where do we
go and what makes this life worth it?
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:And it makes it so much easier to find
the question because I know human nature
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:well, that can get somebody talking.
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:And often when they're, when they've just
been heard, suddenly they feel different.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: That is so true.
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:Being seen and heard is truly
the most important thing you
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:can do for another human being.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah, I agree.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: And the other
thing is, of course, saying their name.
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:I think it was Andrew Carnegie who
said the sweetest sound to any human
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:being is the sound of their own name.
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:And sometimes that is simply.
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:The validation that you are seeing.
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:Music: Yep.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
That you are heard.
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:And that can definitely be so powerful.
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:So I'm really I'm really
curious as to what got you into
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:the homeschooling space and.
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:Are you able to bring in your religion
as well as knowledge and teachings and
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:what have you for the children, it must
be rewarding to have a community in which
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:your children are thriving that way.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah, I
think that's an accurate word.
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:It has been such a blessing
to us on so many levels.
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:It is a sacrifice.
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:It's not to say there is no difficulty
or it's not work, it is effort.
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:But we look at it there.
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:We jokingly say, and that's reason
number 468, why we chose homeschooling.
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:There's, there are so many things about
the public school system that just
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:make no sense to us, that just seem.
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:I get you.
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:It's like I, I now jokingly refer
to it as indoctrination daycare.
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:They just go away and you put in
18 years of hard work and then, and
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:they're gone and you missed a lot of it.
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:And so we get a lot more time
and influence and it's just
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:a very different experience.
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:Our kids run around this
neighborhood we live in and the.
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:Except people refer to
them as old fashioned kids.
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:They often don't have shoes
on, and they're not riding
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:e-bikes and staring at screens.
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:And they, at all different ages
will engage anyone at any age.
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:They're not intimidated.
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:They're just, yeah,
they're well adjusted kids.
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:And to watch them go through that.
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:It has been I wish I could go
back and be one of my own kids.
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:I, it just the education
they got or they get is.
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:So much different and they're so
much more confident and they don't
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:have it's like we, we skipped, we
traded some time for a lot of drama.
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:We don't have.
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:Drama.
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:I, my kids, so far, my teenagers
have never hit a rebellious face.
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:Like it's not a thing.
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:And part of that is, is, the curriculum
to your question about does my, do our
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:worldview or our values get interspersed?
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:Yeah.
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:That's we picked a, it's called Classical
Conversations and it is a Christian based.
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:Curriculum and they, there's a co-op
that meets weekly and they, we just have
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:a curriculum built around all of these
different disciplines are pointing us
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:back to the creator and that they develop
debate skills and reasoning skills
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:and they defend their topics and they
do mock trials and they've memorized.
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:More things than you could possibly
imagine that you'd want to have on recall.
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:And they have, as they grow, they
have context for these, this giant
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:timeline of history they've memorized.
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:So yeah it's a very different experience.
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:And that ability for them to bond, I
think in many ways is a, is would be
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:a bulwark against the heaviness of the
topic that we're talking about today.
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:Because they're in rich
community and they're.
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:Every week they get to, no matter the age,
they have to present something and they
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:just get so confident in front of other
people that it's not weird and they get
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:to push each other's ability to reason
and have people skills and on and yeah.
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:So yeah, it's been a
rich experience for us.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: And how
long has the community existed?
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:Christian Elliot: This curriculum
is, it's all over the world, so
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:it's not unique to where we are.
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:Yeah.
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:But it's existed before.
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:My daughter is graduating
now in high from high school.
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:She's 18.
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:So it existed when we started, I don't
know how far back it goes before that.
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:But our campus is several years old.
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:We've been at this one for four years.
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:And so yeah, it's just been wonderful.
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:It's what you would want
education to be where families.
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:The families in our community
have bonded so well because you
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:don't, if you're homeschool, you're
already sharing a lot of values.
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:You, yeah.
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:You do it for the freedom, you do it to
be able to shape your kids' education.
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:You do it for so many reasons, and
yeah, so it's been a great experience.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Wow.
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:It sounds wonderful.
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:And I can relate to the no
shoes in summers as a child.
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:You
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:Music: know,
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: playing in
the ravines in Toronto we were out of
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:doors from the minute we could get out
until the very last little beam of light.
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:Christian Elliot: Good for you.
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:Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:That sounds like my kids.
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:Yeah.
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:Where are they?
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:They're somewhere in the neighborhood.
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:Yeah.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Oh my God.
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:There was so much to see and do.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: And so
they, there's no, they have no.
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:Electronics they have
none of that, or well,
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:Christian Elliot: well, personally,
my wife and I have, we've created
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:a more of a limited media diet.
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:You could, like we have our kids, our
teenagers more or less have dumb phones.
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:That're not, yeah, we don't.
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:But they have computers and they
have schoolwork they need to do,
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:so they do access the internet.
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:But we've curated a home where our
technology is not an appendage to us.
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:Our kids don't have electronic
bikes and scooters and whatever.
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:They have to power them themselves,
and they but they don't get
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:extended screen time privileges.
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:They get it confined into a
little box that's playful.
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:And so we don't watch a lot of
television and we, we can play video
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:games a little bit on the weekends
and but we're more interested in
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:quality time and growing them up with.
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:Privacy focused technology
that serves them rather than
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:mind controls and manipulates.
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:And they're just another commodity.
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:And I can't tell you the number of
places we go where you just see four
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:teenagers sitting at a table and they're
all looking at their phone and they, my
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:kids are just like the ones, you're like,
gee, I don't want one of those phones.
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:I don't wanna be that kid.
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:Yeah, just people just can't, even adults.
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:We can't get away from this.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
Yeah, I was gonna say that.
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:I was gonna say it's
not even just the kids.
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:Yeah, it's the adults too.
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:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
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:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Okay.
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:I can't tell you how many times
two days ago, we were out in the
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:car and we had to stop three times
because someone was crossing the
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:road who was looking at their phone.
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:They weren't looking at the cars that were
on the road, and they had earbuds in and.
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:I'm a real nervous Nellie.
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:There's no way I could walk around
with earbuds because if someone
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:came up behind me, I'd jump 40 feet.
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:But that whole concept
to me is just bizarre.
385
:And although my grandkids have
all the bells and whistles,
386
:they're into all the technology.
387
:My daughter-in-law is a personal trainer
who specializes in pediatrics and what
388
:have you, and the kids only get to
play video games or do anything like
389
:that if they are on the trampoline.
390
:Oh, there must be some exercise happening
if they're gonna be doing something.
391
:And it's actually interesting
because they have incredible.
392
:The hand-eye coordination and muscle
control because they're having
393
:to do all this at the same time.
394
:The kids always wanna go outside.
395
:There's no, we're not seeing, I,
I do know people whose kids have
396
:no interest in the out of doors.
397
:It's, it's just, stick with the screens.
398
:But I, I think that's, I think
it's important for parents to.
399
:To limit all of that stuff.
400
:For some people it's a babysitter.
401
:It's not a, it's not
about the screen time.
402
:It's about letting the
adults do what they wanna do.
403
:And I don't think that's
viable either, but I think it
404
:would be really interesting.
405
:To see any studies done on kids that have
gone through homeschooling for all of
406
:the formative years and see what their,
I guess what their life paths are like
407
:and how much more centered they are.
408
:Christian Elliot: Yeah, they are, and
it the curriculum that we've chosen, the
409
:kids that go through that have no trouble.
410
:Getting scholarships.
411
:They're some of the most wooed
and wanted by the colleges because
412
:they're, that's head and shoulders
above their peers from public school.
413
:And their confidence, their
ability, their knowledge is deeper.
414
:And yeah, some of that, just
by nature of homeschool.
415
:You're going to be around different
ages, which is different from the public
416
:school where you're just with one age.
417
:And so you're used to relating to a lot
of people and especially in our, I have
418
:six kids, so we have a lot of different
ages and they're used to being around
419
:all it, so you just get, it sharpens you
faster, I think in a community where.
420
:You're with different ages and
you have to, when you're older,
421
:you have to manage your strength.
422
:And when you're younger, you have to have
some confidence to speak up for yourself.
423
:And Yeah.
424
:And those, it just comes naturally
because you're used to talking and the
425
:camp the classes are intentionally small.
426
:So that every kid gets
floor time and that's, yeah.
427
:Yeah.
428
:It really does turn out a very
different kid and, so I can't
429
:speak highly enough of it.
430
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
It sounds wonderful.
431
:It really does.
432
:I don't know.
433
:I don't know what the feasibility
is for all communities to morph
434
:into a more homeschooled system.
435
:Based on.
436
:Like in my head, it's fairly simplistic.
437
:Covid allowed for people to work
remotely and work hybrid sometimes
438
:at home, sometimes at the office.
439
:I don't see why you couldn't extend
that to homeschooling as well.
440
:So many parents were left
scrambling during Covid.
441
:Because all of a sudden, they
still had to go to work, but their
442
:children, one child had covid, which
meant the whole class went home.
443
:For two weeks.
444
:And the parents had to scramble and try
and see how they could manage that because
445
:there's only so many sitters to go around.
446
:And if you're
447
:Not used to getting sitters all day,
if your kids are in, middle school.
448
:This is not something that it falls
within your purview on a day-to-day basis.
449
:There was an awful lot of scrambling,
certainly here in Canada and
450
:and our friends in the states
say this said the same thing.
451
:It was it was very difficult to deal with.
452
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
453
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: I
suppose it'd be a little different
454
:within the community because.
455
:It is a little more insular.
456
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
457
:Yeah.
458
:Our life was not disrupted
much at all by Covid.
459
:It was, I work from home.
460
:My kids are homeschooled, and
it was just, it was a little bit
461
:different because there were fewer
people out and that, some of the,
462
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: yeah,
463
:Christian Elliot: different places
were closed for a while, but yeah,
464
:we were just, we're just used to
being together anyway, and so it
465
:made life sweeter because we had.
466
:Less stress and less crowds and
all the other, so that's true.
467
:Yeah.
468
:It, there's some updates.
469
:A lot of people wonder if they
have what it takes to do it
470
:or how I never could do that.
471
:Yeah.
472
:I'm not a professional educator,
but I would challenge those notions.
473
:No one is going to love
your kids more than you do.
474
:And you don't have to know everything.
475
:You just have to know where to point them
and what the tools are and how to build
476
:community and or where to find community.
477
:And it is not easy to do it by yourself,
but you don't need to do it by yourself.
478
:And each of our kids have different tutors
and that's baked into the experience.
479
:And they largely become self-motivated
because they wanna do it for their peers.
480
:They want to do it because they
represent themselves and their family.
481
:And so we haven't had.
482
:The lazy kid who just won't do the work.
483
:That's just not a thing.
484
:Who'd rather be on the phone and
watch cartoons or play games or
485
:they just, it's not, it's you just
get a completely different culture.
486
:Yeah.
487
:And that they don't
know anything different.
488
:So to them, the public schoolers
are the weird kids, they go, how
489
:come they're always on their phone?
490
:Why does nobody make eye contact?
491
:How come they can't talk to people?
492
:They're just all quiet and they
493
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
don't know how to say hello.
494
:Christian Elliot: And to them it's
the majority is the weird part.
495
:So yeah it can be if one when you don't
know anything different it's just, yeah.
496
:A whole different ball game.
497
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
Actually, it sounds lovely.
498
:It really does.
499
:I know I'm not a patient person.
500
:Music: Yeah.
501
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: So I don't
think I would make a good homeschooler.
502
:Christian Elliot: You, you'd develop
patience because you would have to,
503
:and you would lean into it because of
the mission is worth it because of who
504
:you become in the process and because.
505
:I, I'm not going to abdicate
a sacred duty because I tell
506
:myself I'm not a patient person.
507
:The patience isn't like something
that you are, you're either
508
:zinged with it or you're not.
509
:It's a virtue to cultivate.
510
:It's like any other discipline or virtue.
511
:It's not, you don't max it out.
512
:You just get a little better at it.
513
:You become a little more self-aware,
and you become a little bit more, you
514
:be a little slower to speak, quicker
to listen, a little less judgmental.
515
:You stop reasoning from
unverified assumptions and you.
516
:Take a deep breath and
say okay, that happened.
517
:Now what can I do about it?
518
:And it is an invitation to think
about life at a systems level.
519
:It's an invitation to think
about life from a different
520
:angle or a different scenario.
521
:Yeah.
522
:Who would I have to become to
be patient in this scenario?
523
:And sure enough, there's an answer
to those types of questions.
524
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: That
is, that's so interesting.
525
:It's not something we,
we thought of for long.
526
:Our kids or our kids are nine years apart.
527
:So it, it was different with both of them.
528
:I suppose it, it depends
on where you are as well.
529
:It would be,
530
:actually, it might be easier for people
to do it up here because we have six
531
:or seven months of the year where.
532
:There are days you can't
get out of your house.
533
:Christian Elliot: Yeah, I bet.
534
:As cold as it is where
you aren't Oh, yeah.
535
:Might yeah.
536
:It saves gas money, it saves the stress
of just whatever, PTA meetings, teacher
537
:drama, bullies in school there's so like
just the whole health freedom puzzle
538
:and navigating curriculum that you
may or may not want your kids seeing.
539
:And there's just.
540
:It's just a, it's freedom from
so many scenarios that you'll,
541
:you can just like opt out, don't
have to bother with that one.
542
:Yeah.
543
:Yeah.
544
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: And is
this something you and your wife
545
:had planned before you had children?
546
:Christian Elliot: Not necessarily
my, so here it played out
547
:my I'm the oldest of four.
548
:My two younger siblings
finished out there.
549
:Schooling as homeschoolers.
550
:I didn't ever homeschool myself,
but my siblings did, and I started
551
:seeing compelling arguments, like the
difference in the education quality
552
:was remarkable from what I got.
553
:And to see what
homeschooling could become.
554
:There was a.
555
:We went and visited a campus to just
get a sense of what is this and do,
556
:is this something we would consider?
557
:And there were a few
things that were said.
558
:It was like, wow.
559
:Like one of them was we're
redeeming two generations at once.
560
:Like it's taking the education you didn't
get and you get to almost go through it.
561
:And you get to take your kid through it.
562
:And that spoke to me.
563
:And then the recognition that
you can't mess up kindergarten,
564
:you can't mess up first grade.
565
:Like I definitely can teach that.
566
:And so my wife said, okay, I'll do
this for a year and if I don't mess
567
:it up, I'll consider a second year.
568
:And umpteen years later,
we're still doing it because.
569
:It's it the path that you just,
your skills grow as they grow.
570
:Yeah.
571
:And it's not like you don't need to
know how to homeschool a high schooler
572
:when you only have a 5-year-old that
you'll figure that out on the way there.
573
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah.
574
:Christian Elliot: And yeah, we're
graduating a senior this year and we have
575
:a son in ninth grade and they're thriving.
576
:And it's not because we became.
577
:High school teachers, it's because we
found a system in a community where
578
:they're largely self-directed and they
have peers that are responsible for the
579
:same things and they have a di a a tutor
that works with the group of them and
580
:keeps them on task and they get, they look
forward to meeting each other every week.
581
:And so it's, yeah, it really is a very
different setting and a different mindset.
582
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah,
I was gonna say, it's not.
583
:It's not, I think what people think of
when they think homeschool being stuck
584
:at the table in the kitchen with your
four kids and like from kindergarten to
585
:grade 12 which is obviously something
very different when you're talking
586
:tutors and getting together and
587
:You're talking about, about a
whole different system, which
588
:I think is really interesting.
589
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
590
:There were people that were, that
believed in it so much that I.
591
:Not surprisingly, they took the time
to think of how to make this doable
592
:for families or for large families.
593
:And yeah, how to not pretend that mom can
teach six classes at once at the table.
594
:That was never the model I.
595
:But that's what we think of because
of what we know is public school,
596
:and it's, that's what you do.
597
:There's one sage and there's a 30
kids, and everybody hears the same
598
:thing, and you go with the spade
of the slowest student in the room,
599
:and we don't have to do any of that.
600
:And some things they, what's fun too
is they're learning from each other.
601
:Like the third grader helps the first
grader and they're, yeah, they see
602
:the things that are coming and so
they're a little ahead when it's their
603
:turn and it's just not that hard.
604
:But they each, they have their worksheets.
605
:My wife typically has.
606
:The way our kids are spaced
about two at a time that involve
607
:her day from about nine to two.
608
:They're, she's working
with the two of them.
609
:The other two were self directed.
610
:The other two are too small to,
they're just there making messes
611
:and we're cleaning them up.
612
:So that's just part of the way it runs.
613
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah.
614
:Wow.
615
:That, that, you've given me so much
to think about because I obviously
616
:had no concept what was involved here.
617
:Christian Elliot: Yeah, I can keep
going, but I'll let you guide me.
618
:Yeah.
619
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
Truly fascinating.
620
:And you're your own work, obviously
you have time for that as well.
621
:Christian Elliot: Yes.
622
:Yeah, I have an office and sometimes it's
quiet in the house and other times it's
623
:not as quiet, but I have noise canceling
headphones and there's a coffee shop
624
:nearby if I really need to get away.
625
:And yeah.
626
:But we as a, I.
627
:What's so fun about being a coach for
me is I've had to eat my own cooking.
628
:I've had to solve problems for other
people that I need solved myself.
629
:And one of those big ones is
a system that runs the home.
630
:So it's not two versus six, and we're
just, my wife and I are responsible
631
:for everything, and they're just
freeloaders who don't contribute.
632
:And we wanna raise competent humans
who are well adjusted and have skills
633
:when they leave the house, not.
634
:Are, dependent and, expecting everyone
to just meet their needs all the time.
635
:Now you have, you're a contributor in this
family, and we expect things of you, and
636
:we're not gonna praise you for brushing
your teeth or for making us dinner.
637
:And that's part of the gig and
taking out the trash is you
638
:don't get, allowance for that.
639
:That's called.
640
:Contributing to the family and, but we've
figured out the systems that run the home
641
:and they're, no, they're not perfect.
642
:'cause kids are not always plantable,
but by and large they work and we do
643
:get the trash out and the dishes do
get done and the laundry's folded and
644
:the things it takes to run a home.
645
:Done well distributed, leave
time for family and play and
646
:yeah,
647
:meaningful experiences.
648
:And I had to solve that
problem as a coach.
649
:And I had to solve it for myself.
650
:And so what's so fun about being a coach
is when I see, oh, I needed that advice.
651
:I just gave that person.
652
:That happens all the time.
653
:And it's just part of like eventually
you start to become a very quick study at
654
:finding the challenges that people really
have, whether it's mental, whether it's
655
:spiritual, whether it's physical, whether
it's logistical, it could be any of those.
656
:And they're not impossible
puzzles to solve.
657
:They're just.
658
:The next one, but there what I love to
aspire to is to call myself a systems
659
:level or first principle thinker.
660
:I wanna operate from the first
principle where the idea being, there's
661
:nothing that comes before this, right?
662
:Yeah.
663
:Water runs downhill is an easy one.
664
:There will always be
things that are dependable.
665
:With dependable things, as far as I could
tell, the kids get hungry every day.
666
:They don't, there's no day off where
they don't like, just, dad, you
667
:don't need to worry about Sundays.
668
:We won't eat.
669
:That's gonna happen every day.
670
:I probably should have a system like
dinner should not sneak up on us.
671
:Like what?
672
:It's it, the kids are hungry again.
673
:There ought to be a system for
otherwise we have no underwear and.
674
:Food.
675
:Yeah.
676
:Yeah.
677
:So anyway there's a lot of different
examples of that kind of thing, but
678
:that, that has made me a better coach and
hopefully a better person in the process.
679
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah.
680
:It, I'm laughing, but I'm laughing
because it's, it makes so much sense.
681
:Yeah.
682
:They don't stop.
683
:They do eat every day.
684
:They change their clothes every day.
685
:They sleep every day.
686
:All of those things
have to happen, whether.
687
:Whether we enjoy them or whether
we're farming them out or not.
688
:Yeah.
689
:And it makes more sense to
have everybody contribute.
690
:Yeah.
691
:Because never lived in that
type of a community, but our
692
:whole family always contributed.
693
:Because that's how I was brought up.
694
:And it just it makes the work easier.
695
:But also it does, it gives you
more time for the fun stuff.
696
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
697
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: And my
grandmother used to say, needs must.
698
:Christian Elliot: What
did she mean by that?
699
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: It always,
I always was what on earth is that?
700
:She say, if something
really needs to happen.
701
:Then you will find that it must go on.
702
:It must happen for you and you will
find yourself doing what you need Yeah.
703
:In order to go forward.
704
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
705
:And
706
:that's my sentiment saying,
707
:and I
708
:think almost anyone can homeschool.
709
:It's you do it because I
need to figure this out now.
710
:I, my kid can't read.
711
:Okay.
712
:I'm not just be like, nevermind.
713
:It's probably not important.
714
:Like you're gonna figure out Yeah.
715
:What to do to teach them to read.
716
:And that may mean you experiment,
but the beauty is it's your kid and
717
:you are invested in their growth,
whereas maybe somebody else isn't
718
:so invested or likely someone isn't.
719
:So
720
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: it's true.
721
:And we came from Scotland
722
:To
723
:Canada.
724
:When I was three and before I ever
went to kindergarten, I came from
725
:a place that expected the parents.
726
:To teach you your name, your
address, how to write, how to read.
727
:That was part of their job as parents.
728
:And somewhere along the way I think we
messed that up or lost it in some form.
729
:And so much has been put on teachers who.
730
:Don't have any real skin in the game.
731
:I'm, and I'm not saying
teachers That's not disparaging.
732
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
733
:It's just real.
734
:Or they can't have skin
in the game for 30 kids.
735
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Exactly.
736
:It's too many.
737
:Yeah, exactly.
738
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
739
:But at home, like we, we get
to invest in our kids and we
740
:use that word intentionally.
741
:It's, I really, it occurred to me
years ago that chore time and parenting
742
:don't have to be separate things like.
743
:Teaching our kids to do dishes
and yeah, and to do life with them
744
:is parenting and it is modeling.
745
:It does teach, and I want them to
struggle to scratch the crusty stuff
746
:off a plate or a, clean out the trash
can because I want them to learn.
747
:They can do hard things and they don't
get a free pass when something gets hard.
748
:And I get to be there with them
more frequently because I'm home
749
:and because they're home and there,
there's a confidence you get when you.
750
:Realize you can do hard things.
751
:It was fun.
752
:My, my oldest son has
a lawnmowing business.
753
:He's 15, he's had it for four years,
and he was the cute little kid that
754
:was, half pine, running around the
neighborhood, pushing this giant lawnmower
755
:and crying and sweating and this is
hard and it's hot and there's bugs
756
:and I don't know if I could do this.
757
:And there's too many
people and now he's fine.
758
:But he wouldn't have had
that confidence had he not.
759
:We didn't give him like,
sorry, you gotta mow the yard.
760
:Sorry.
761
:You better get going
'cause it's gonna get dark.
762
:Yeah.
763
:So you can cry about it, but
you still gotta get it done.
764
:So should we just start?
765
:And sure enough, it toughens them up.
766
:They realize, okay, hard work is
valuable and now he's gotta buy
767
:his own car before he is even 16.
768
:So he's, yeah.
769
:There's something beautiful about
being able to gift your kids.
770
:The, another phrase that was
really helpful is the gift
771
:of an extended childhood.
772
:Yeah.
773
:They don't have to grow up
and face the bully so fast.
774
:They don't have to fit some other
mold of where they're supposed to
775
:be, and they can grow their pace and
not get just the peer pressure that
776
:comes in those giant institutions.
777
:It just forces things into their
awareness that they don't need yet.
778
:Absolutely.
779
:Yeah.
780
:So that's another gift
we found from homeschool.
781
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
Now, if you wanna ask a couple
782
:of tough questions, so Sure.
783
:Within this framework.
784
:What about kids that have a mental health
issue, that struggle with something?
785
:How does that work within
the community or within?
786
:A family.
787
:Is there collective help for that and
or is it less, happens less often?
788
:Christian Elliot: Yeah.
789
:That really would depend on
the campus, the curriculum,
790
:the who's in what community.
791
:So a special needs kid is, wouldn't
necessarily do as well in the
792
:model that we're talking about.
793
:But if I had a special needs kid,
I doesn't mean I, I wouldn't have
794
:other options that I could pursue.
795
:Okay.
796
:For something like that, it just, I
don't have that scenario, so I don't,
797
:I haven't had to find those options.
798
:But I know they exist and I
know there are like friends in
799
:our neighborhood that had have.
800
:Type kids like that and you find other
caretakers, you find other ways to
801
:support them, and they get to learn at
and grow at their pace and find the tutor
802
:that, that can make all the difference.
803
:So it's, it allows for a level of
personalization that is harder to find,
804
:I think, in the arena of public school.
805
:And if you if your listeners have not
read the, this will come full circle here.
806
:The book Bad Therapy by Abigail Schreyer.
807
:It is a damning look at the public
school system and their use of therapy.
808
:And one of the worst examples is the
social emotional learning and the way that
809
:they get kids to marinate and navel gaze
in everything hard and everything sad.
810
:And they have questionnaires about
how often they think about suicide
811
:and it's just, it's pointing kids
down rather than pulling them up.
812
:And that is a sickening.
813
:And you could get, conspiratorial
and say gross development.
814
:That's weaponized against the populist
for an extraction model of just putting
815
:kids on meds the rest of their life.
816
:And as parents, we get to be the
bulwark against that and says, no,
817
:if I have whatever kid I've got,
I got, that's the one God gave me.
818
:And so I'll do the best I can with it.
819
:But to put them in environments that are
dragging them down and traumatizing them.
820
:I can't allow that to happen as a parent.
821
:And this therapy world is, has in
many ways gotten a free pass because
822
:they know the right buzzwords to
sound like they're helping and
823
:they're actually creating, that's
the reason she named it bad therapy.
824
:Like I used to think of therapy as this
kind of, this, it was neutral, not not
825
:helpful at all to Wow, that's a, amazing.
826
:Now I've expanded the spectrum to the
left, egregiously, weaponized and harmful
827
:and destructive for kids all the way too.
828
:Very helpful.
829
:It, it can go that way.
830
:And if parents don't have an eye for
what's going on in the school and what
831
:kind of, whether it's social emotional
learning or any number of other
832
:therapists that are at schools, they.
833
:By and large, one of her most compelling
arguments in the book is that we have
834
:gen developed a generation of snowflakes
and entitled kids and kids who are
835
:fearful and mom and dad have to go
to their interviews with them because
836
:they've never learned resilience.
837
:They've never learned to toughen up.
838
:And if we want to shift the culture
and diminish this suicide problem,
839
:that would be a great place to start.
840
:And some of us, enough of us
just opting out of the system,
841
:developing a better way and.
842
:Doing what we've done in homeschool,
and sure enough, you get well adjusted
843
:humans who are gonna be a boost to
society rather than a drain on it.
844
:Yeah.
845
:So anyway, that's an
interesting full circle.
846
:We came to there
847
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
and it certainly is.
848
:It certainly is.
849
:So well you've given myself and
our audience a lot to think about.
850
:I wish you well with all six kids.
851
:Wow.
852
:That's thank you.
853
:That's a whole family.
854
:Christian Elliot: It is.
855
:There's a lot of us.
856
:Yeah,
857
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna: Yeah.
858
:And there, there used to be.
859
:In all families there used to be
an awful lot of kids and that may
860
:be the way we're going back to.
861
:Who knows?
862
:I thank you so much for joining me today.
863
:You're welcome.
864
:Elaine Christian Elliott, and if you
have questions, you'll be able to
865
:find down below all the information
about Christian and how to get
866
:ahold of him and what he does.
867
:And we'll make sure that you
know exactly how to find him.
868
:I thank you so much.
869
:I'm Elaine Lindsay.
870
:This is suicide and forgiveness.
871
:We will see you next time, and in the
meantime, I would like you to make the
872
:very most of your today, every day.
873
:Bye for now.
874
:Voiceover: Thank you for being
here for another inspiring episode
875
:of Suicide Zen Forgiveness.
876
:We appreciate you tuning in.
877
:Please subscribe and download on your
favorite service and check out SZF42
878
:YouTube channel or Facebook community.
879
:If you have the chance to leave
a five star rating or review,
880
:it'd be greatly appreciated.
881
:Please refer this to a friend you
know who may benefit from the hope
882
:and inspiration from our guests.
883
:Suicide Zen Forgiveness was brought
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884
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885
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886
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887
:and standup coach at Second City.
888
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889
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890
:Elaine @TheDarkPollyanna:
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891
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893
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894
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895
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896
:uplifting podcasting community.
897
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898
:Voiceover: Do you have a story to share?
899
:Do you know someone you
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900
:Please go to SZF four two.com
901
:and for our American listeners,
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902
:Thank you for listening and
we hope to see you again.