Surfwise
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90272530
Jonathan just sent me this link, to a segment on Fresh Aire with Jonathan Paskowitz, and his documentary Surfwise. This film both encourages and terrifies me, frankly.
When you’re steeped in a fear-based society, sometimes it feels safer to stay under the radar as far as possible, and a lot of that is letting people assume what makes them comfortable, and not making too much noise about the choices your family makes, because that way, you aren’t dealing with possible State interference. You can talk to people about homebirth, homeschool, blah blah blah, but not all at once, because they shut down and assume you’re completely insane and/or incompetent.
Then along comes a film like this.
Compared to what the Paskowitzes did, what we’re planning is tame. Nine kids in a 24-foot trailer makes three kids in a 47-foot boat sound pretty palatial and spacious. So that’s cool. And while we do enjoy the raw food thing, my kids know what fat and sugar are, and are allowed to indulge. I’m thinking I might keep this film up my sleeve, to show folks that we’re not nearly as extreme as we sound.
But once I’m done with self-protection mode, I start really thinking about what those folks did, and wishing someone had covered the stuff I really want to know. Like… do all nine kids still like each other? What kinds of encouragement in learning were they able to do? How did they manage things like laundry? You know, the real details of making a family like that really work… in a 24 foot trailer, nonetheless.
Anyway, I’m sure I’ll have more to say when I’ve gotten to see it. Stay tuned.
This seems really extreme. I don’t think I could survive my family of 4 (including furbaby) in a rig like that!! Let me know what you think if you end up seeing the film.
Reading a bit further on the links in the link-URL, I found this
http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0819,paradise-lost,433817,20.html.
Quite disturbing patriarch, all other things aside.
Hmm… Reading the NPR story and the others it linked to brought to mind thoughts of the Beach Boys (not surprisingly I suppose) and their relationship with their dad and what it did to them, the Travelling Thornberries, whose lifestyle (though fictional of course) seems altogether far more inspiring and certainly less one dimensional, and escapist religious cults. When the guy in the video trailer says he’s going to put his children through what he went through, what does he mean by “put my children through”? That doesn’t sound good.
Looking forward to learning more when you’ve seen the film.
I heard the NPR story and was actually disturbed by it. I never once made the jump between it and your family’s adventure living on a boat. Reading you post, of course I see similarities; but what is most striking to me are the differences. The parents in the NPR story didn’t seem sensitive to their children’s needs or feelings whereas you seem completely open and alert to your children. I think this makes all the difference. Don’t you think as a parent that the cereal incident should have made the parents question what they were doing with their kids? It also seemed to me that so much of that family’s lifestyle was based on a selfi-centered design in the father’s mind for himself and his needs. On the other hand, your lifestyle doesn’t just impact you and your husband–it makes a positive difference in the world. Just my opinion. Oh, and as far as the siblings in the story being close–I believe one of them mentioned that they are counselors to one another so that speaks of a level of trust and caring that sounds like closeness to me.
Thanks Jackie. The thing is… lots of people think *we’re* extreme. Cause, you know, our kids can’t have all the stuff they want, the whole American expansion package, blah blah blah. So I’m always a little sensitive to parents who seem “out there”. You’re totally right about the cereal thing, though; that bothered me a whole lot, and anyone who didn’t see that as a big problem wasn’t looking.
And yeah, I caught the “counsellors” comment too… I’ve see the phenom before, where totally messed-up parents end up having kids who band together in the face of shared trauma. I’m not sure that counts as close. But then again… if you’ve grown up in a 24-foot trailer and are still speaking to each other later, I suppose that’s something. =)
Surfwise opens at the Nickelodeon Theatre in Santa Cruz on May 30, and Embarcadero Cinema in San Francisco on June 13. Otherwise, wait until the video release.
Dude, I can’t seem to let this one go. I grew up living very simply with my parents and my sister in a space about the same size as yours, maybe a bit bigger. Our food was simple, our clothes simple, and there were few extras. As an adult I have gripes, but they have nothing to do with our simple life. I cherish that and think it taught me a great deal which I, in turn, try to pass on to my children. My gripes are that my parents weren’t sensitive to my feelings. My dad could be a tyrant and my mom passive. They didn’t teach me to have pride in our lifestyle. They didn’t teach me the “why” of our lifestyle. Our situation and my parent’s reasons for living that way were quite complicated, but I needed something to believe in–you seem to give that to your kids. I also went to regular school and there were things I truly needed that I didn’t have. But the biggest thing about living in that small space that I minded was not having my own space–a small desk, bookshelf, a corner–something, a space for me. I think I remember seeing on your blog that you have that for your boys. Anyway, I don’t know if this helps, but I thought I’d share anyway. Oh, and, as adults my sister and I are quite anal about our space. I take my desk very seriously and she takes her bedroom so seriously that her husband sleeps in a different room. She and I are close, but not co-dependent close. We agree on the positive impact our childhood of simplicity had on our lives. Sorry this went so long.