I just joined a group for "radical unschoolers": http://familyrun.ning.com

The form asked "what does radical unschooling mean to you?" My answer - "I thought unschooling was pretty radical in and of itself." They still let me join, though.

It had a great post with an essay about how grown ups usually approach kids' interests (read this - it's not just for unschoolers, it's for everyone):

http://www.ericnagler.com/Eric_story.htm

I had to reply with my own story (sorry Mom):

This is so great. It's so like how just about everyone approaches everything. I hope we all can overcome like the author did.

Our story: My son Ryan was playing with his counting bank. Having hours of fun adding coins to count up over a hundred, then dumping them out and adding them again to get to over 200, etc. He loved it. He called the number that displayed a percent (the intention is that it is dollars, of course, but no matter, we was learning the different coins and what they were "worth" and setting a goal (to get to the next 100) and counting patiently up to that goal).

My mother and her friend came over and Ryan showed them his bank and said "Look! I have 150 percent!". My mom's friend said, "that's not percent, that's dollars." He paused, but quitely added several more coins and said "now I have 200 percent!". To which the friend said, insistently, "that's not percent, that's dollars! See - that's a dollar sign!" Ryan paused again, longer this time. But since he loved this game (and didn't know this friend well - maybe she didn't know what she was talking about) he kept going.

He dumped out the coins and then started putting them in the bank, counting up from where he left off (his favorite part of the game). My mother shrieked "you can't do that!!!" as if there was some horrible fate that would befall him if he "cheated" this toy bank.

I was horrified. I said to them - "stop!!!" but too late. He has never again played with the counting bank toy that gave him so much pleasure since the day the grown ups ruined the fun.