To Our Parents Who Read This

I sit here and try to decide what to say to you, the unknown masses who frequent our communical textual home. I want to say how glad i am that we attract your focus and attention, i am honored that you, like us, see the value in what we say to each other.

and I'd like you to say something back.

You see hidden on the layers of wiki is most of my life, my stories, poetry, records of the first boy i fell in love with, the highs and lows of travel, every intense event of my life is recorded here in cyberspace. I've risked everything, confessed everything, worked through my own ideas, sexuality, future, relationships.

It seems only fair that you give something back Please, share something. Who did you first fall in love with? what made you write poetry at 14? how did you move out of home? was today a good day? You, like us, feel a draw for commnity, for place, to be spoken and to be heard.

So Speak. Introduce yourself or be nameless, but say something. -Dawn

it's not that i have a problem with you reading this because i really don't.

 the thing that makes me uneasy is i don't know what part of my shattered
soul you read or didn't read. wiki is like my home i cry in, laugh in, and
sing in. it really is wounderful that you are here. it's just weird like
dawn pointed out that we don't hear anything back. tell us what you think
about life or death or even something as simple as "i hear you" anything
really but please, say something. --Heather

ps i think the reason why people are scaired of you (being other people sids the regular nbtscers) on here is that they don't hear anything you say or think so they maake up what they think you might say. or what there mom or dad would say or something. thats what i do at least please speek up.

okay, I'll go first. I'm Neal's mom, Sandy, and I read wiki only occasionally, usually when Neal points me to something he found interesting and thinks I would like. I usually just scan down Recent Changes and read Don't Quote That. You guys crack me up :-)

I have read, and been very moved by some of your poetry. I read all of ReannaRanAbroad because Reanna has always been an inspiration to me. Seems like whenever I had one of those "are we doing the right thing with this hands off unschooling?" panic periods (most of us have them at least periodically, I would run into Reanna and some of the older Vancouver teens and be reminded why we are unschooling. There was also the thrill of reliving my own youthful travel days vicariously through her writing of her adventures.

Several nbtsc-ers have encouraged my wiki browsing, but I generally don't respond because while I appreciate the invitation, I wasn't sure that everyone would feel that way, given the amount of courageous soul bearing that goes on. The only time I have written anything on wiki was just after the 9/11 tragedy. I was anxious about the kids still at camp and travel interruptions etc. I am feeling ambivalent about posting because I wouldn't want parents coming out to discourage the honesty and sharing that happens here.

It feels good to get a sense of some of the people who make up a part of Neal's world of which we parents are not a part. Camp and campers are extremely important to him. We have enjoyed and been impressed the campers who have stayed with us, and hope to meet more, but reading wiki is a way to have some sense of why camp is so special. I find reading what you all write is very reassuring and helps me to relax. Yes, the s/h and eating disorder stuff causes anxiety - it's extremely hard for me to read about kids in pain and know that nobody else can fix it for you, but the fact that you can share and ask for understanding and support from the people who matter to you is encouraging to me. The whole tone of wiki is so supportive.

Reading some of the things you are wrestling with brings it all back. Some of you have described things which I, and probably many parents here, felt in our teens. It helps me to remember the rawness and intensity. I wish I had known the kind of support as a teen that you have here. I envy your community. I really do.

Being able to share a little bit of your world helps to make me a better parent. You all make it so clear that you, campers as a group, are a unique and very special bunch.

I will follow this discussion, but will graciously bow out and refrain from reading any more if you feel that it is intrusive for me to do so. I have a great deal of respect for the people who post here.

  - Sandy Keane

• Sandy, thank you so much for posting on here. I think one thing that makes us unschooler teens different than most other, is that we aren't shut off from the big bad scary adults of the world. ;) Rather than being segregated into rooms with 40 kids all our own age, we're out in the real world, interacting with real people.........including <gasp> parents. annnyways, this has a point, really it does. thank you for posting. sometimes i think we (being teenagers)get too closed off, thinking that we absolutely can't let adults in on the inner workings of our mind. to know that you get valuable things from reading our thougts and words, is extremely validating and gratifying. so thanks again. RoyaBoya
• Yes! Thank you thank you thank you! It's nice I guess to know that adults (you at least) read what we've posted on self harm and eating dissorders and conflict with family and body image, much of which is serious stuff, and don't have to freak out but accept it (at least that's the impression I got). So thank you so much for sharing! Franny
• Here Here! thank you so much for saying something! Its wonderful to hear what adults have to say/think about us...!-Dawn, thrilled!
• ditto! thank you sandy, i hope you post more when you have something to say. parents are part of the nbtsc community too! yay!

Well, since Sandy went first I figured I would go second. I am Susanna Eve, mother to Dan D. and Zach D. Like Sandy, I only occasionally read the wiki, usually at the prompting of one of my 2 sons. I read the wiki out of a desire to get to know some of you a little. I have been to the pain page and some other intense pages too. I know you have all been having a discussion about parents reading the wiki etc. I have been asked by one of my sons to not read any pages of a "sensitive nature" from now on and I will respect that. I admire the courage of those of you who have posted so much about your personal lives and struggles. I think you are an amazing group of young people and I really regret that I haven't had a chance to meet any of you in person. Please come and visit us on the east coast! -Susanna E.

• Thank you so much. We're honered (i am at least) that you're sharing your thoughts and respecting us so much! ~Franny~
• i don't think i can say thankyou enough for poasting these messages. it makes me feel a lot better about people on wiki but it's still sorta weird to know that complet strangers know my past. i like having wiki public to you all. i think we need older souls in here but i do still think some of the pages should be coded. only the "scary pages" and the party pages need to be blocked i beleve. i ran a search called "dawn smith wiki" and my sisters newyears page comes up like tons. thats fine sept my phone number is on there.and not to mention if somone writs on the rape page and there rapest read it then all hell could break loose. oh well we shall see what pans out. what do you "older souls"ie parents think?

Hey, I think we should edit this page daily inorder to keep it in the recent changes. Nick H

Hey, yeah, editing it frequently seems like a good idea, to keep it in everybody's minds.