How to Use Nonviolent Communication in our Homeschools

Erin Fleming is an experienced facilitator and coach, serving parents as they navigate their relationships with their children. As an Unschooling parentpreneur with 3 kids, Erin uses Nonviolent Communication and Self-Directed philosophies to bring peace to her own busy life and she is enthusiastic about sharing these techniques with others.

Erin strives to understand the beautiful needs beneath all expressions of feelings and offer support to parents as they make choices and navigate life’s complexities with connection and warmth through Nonviolent Communication. 



How to Use Non-Violent Communication in our Homeschools

One day you will be in that moment where you get that trigger but instead of going down that habitual pathway, you’ll just have this moment of “oh I see where I am in this moment.” And you’ll be able to access something different. Maybe it won’t be exactly what you wanted. But you’ll have slowed it down enough that you’ll be able to access a different strategy.

Erin Fleming, Unschool & Parenting Coach at MetaMentoring

Erin’s Advice for Homeschool Parents:

  • Practice your desired response when things are calm.
  • Learning to communicate well is the most important curriculum.
  • It can feel like you’re walking in mud, but it’s the space you can develop self-compassion.
  • Our capacity to hold space for our kids is directly related to our capacity to handle our own feelings.
  • Have self-compassion for yourself: learn not to judge yourself.
  • What might be the need under that self-judgment?
  • Recognize your humanity. Don’t expect perfection of yourselves.
  • Be gentle with yourself: sometimes that means going slow, tossing your plans if needed, reaching out to your friend, partner, or community, and asking for help.
  • Focus on your connection with yourself, your kids, your community, and nature.
  • All human beings experience the same needs. If you can get to that needs level, that’s where that empathy lies too. You can understand the other person: what are they after? What do they need?
  • Our capacity to hold our kids’ feelings is directly related to our capacity to manage our own feelings.

You can find Erin online at:


People often ask…



Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventure
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/