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15 Years of Amazingness: Celebrating the Journey of a Remarkable Girl | Day 258 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Sep 16, 2023

This girl.

This girl is amazing. Really, she is.

She came to us fifteen years ago, and on the 15th of September this year, she spent her birthday walking an ascent of more than 900 meters and a total of 18 kilometers.

I was in India when I realized she was on her way. It was hot and humid, and I was so sick from the pregnancy but obviously also excited about the miracle of a new one coming.

She arrived on a beautiful day of sunshine and was so pretty it was hard to understand—a newborn with such harmony.

She was silent, yet powerful. Calm, but from the very beginning, she knew what she wanted and made sure to get it.

Lots of people over the years have thought she was just shy, but in all reality, she will do no bullshit. If she does not like a situation or person or even does not find it/them interesting, she ignores it.

It is a revolution to have a third child. The first is like the world cracks open, and everything changes.

With the second, you learn to divide your attention, which is hard, and - at least for me - the third is chaos. Not Silke herself, though. She was always calm unless she did not get what she wanted or someone tried to make her do something she did not want. It was the fact there were now more children than adults, and we had to give in. Letting go of our ideas of how it should be and live came with number three.

It is a pleasure to be her mother, to get to spend so much time with her, and to join her in the transformative years currently ongoing. 



She walked the Camino with family and friends before, during, and after her birthday this year. It was a celebration in line with who she is: A traveling, strong, intelligent, powerful soul who talks a lot, wants to join everything and know it all, and to whom the world is very open.

On the day we did the most crazy walk, Cheryl and I hardly reached the top of that mountain.

We saw stunning beauty and walked in a cloud and had nothing to eat until late in the evening when we drove to the nearest larger city to find accommodation and a restaurant.

Perfect.

With love

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Cecilie Conrad

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Unschooling and Parent consulting, conversations, blogposts, and podcasts on family life and learning

Hi, I'm Cecilie Conrad. I'm a trained psychologist, mother of four, radical unschooler and full-time traveller. I have lived with unschooling for over a decade and help other families find their own path – whether it is about homeschooling, unschooling, or the bigger question of how you want to live as a family.

I offer guidance, conversations and talks. I call my work grandmothering – not coaching in the traditional sense, but presence, professional insight and concrete help navigating motherhood and finding your way home to your own values.

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