#35 Healing, trust, and low demand parenting. Unschooling and PDA, with Amanda Diekman in North Carolina

My guest this episode is Amanda Diekman. Amanda lives in North Carolina with her husband and three sons, who are 6, 8 and 10. Amanda’s journey to unschooling started with her 8 year-old who is autistic, PDA and the reality that school was a difficult and traumatic experience for him. Her 10 year old son, who is also autistic later chose also to leave school. We talk about how we can meet the needs of a PDA child, and how essential it is that we leave behind any mainstream ideas about parenting and education that are unlikely to serve us. Amanda talks us through how adopting low demand parenting has helped both her and her son heal, and about how unschooling looks very different according to each child. You can find out more about Amanda's work at https://www.amandadiekman.netConnect with Amanda on Instagram: @lowdemandamandaIf you'd like to support the podcast and the sharing of these stories, you can do that here.   Thank you!The Parent's Handbook to Unschooling Yourself. A Mindful Guide to Embracing a New Way of Living and Learning With Your ChildYou can sign up for weekly resources around unschooling and mindful parenting at:www.esther-jones.comOr, connect with me onSubstack: https://substack.com/@estherjonesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjones.beyondschoolFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheUnschoolSpace