Getting Older, Unschooling, and Moving On
My unschooling blog has a limited life. One day, in the not too distant future, I will no longer have anything to write about. My youngest child will have grown up and moved onto a new stage of her life. I’ll no longer be sharing her unschooling learning, and so it will be time for me to move onto a new stage in my life too.
What will happen to me when I no longer have children at home to share my life with? Will I miss the unschooling days I now enjoy? Will life seem empty? As I think of the future, perhaps I should be worried.
I remember how I used to worry about moving on from my baby days. For many years, I enjoyed having babies and toddlers in our family. Life was busy. Life was good. I used to wonder how I’d cope when I no longer had little people dependant upon me.
But I needn’t have worried. My post-baby life has been amazing. I haven’t sat around yearning for those former, younger days. No, I’ve been far too busy to do that. I’ve been learning and sharing and contributing in ways I never could have imagined.
It seems to me that if we are willing to move onto each new stage of our lives, we will discover new adventures and purpose. Yes, we have to let go of the old before God can give us the new.
So why am I mulling over stages of life and moving on? Well, my daughter Imogen turned 21 last week. That seems remarkable. Where has time gone? Part of me wants time to stand still so I can hold on to my children and keep them as they are. But most of me is perfectly happy. Yes, my children are growing up and I’m getting older, but that’s okay. I love my kids whatever age they are, (they only seem to get better and better!) and I don’t really mind not being so young anymore. Life is good.
I share a few ‘getting older and moving on’ thoughts in this week’s podcast. I also talk about a lot of other things. (I had lots to say this week!)
In episode 52, I talk about the following topics:
Why I’m not strewing at the moment
Real life Christmas maths
Encouraging children’s ideas even when they don’t seem practical
Whether it a parent’s duty to make sure her child learns what she thinks is essential for future success
What unschooling has done for me
How my own learning has had an impact on my children
Getting older and
How I will cope when I have to move on from sharing unschooling with my children to the next stage of my life
Will you listen? I hope so!
Podcast Notes
Blog posts
How to Get Kids to Do Their ‘School Work’
The Changing Seasons of the Unschooling Year
Music
60’s Quiz Show by Podington Bear, (CC BY-NC 3.0)
The photos were taken on my daughter Imogen’s 21st birthday.
During my podcast, I ask the question: What is your ‘thing’? It’ll be something that’s very important to you, something you can’t help but get excited about. If you’d like to share your thing, (or any other thoughts!) please stop by!
Thank you for listening to my podcast!