Taking Risks, Looking Strange
… And we shouldn’t be afraid of taking risks: doing something different and trying new things. People might look at us strangely, but then again, they might not. They might think what we’re doing is great.It’s strange how many of us tend to stick to the same way of doing things, isn’t it? We want to blend in, stay under the radar and not stick out. Unschooling can be a bit that way. When my kids were growing up, we didn’t know any other unschoolers, so we tried to blend in with everyone else so we felt accepted. And we did okay until people engaged us in conversation. Then, our differences appeared. It became apparent we weren’t like everyone else. We were strange!
An Almost Empty Unschool House
Recently, two of our daughters moved out of home, leaving behind two empty bedrooms, which my husband and I are turning into a study and a studio. For the first time ever, I will have my very own space where I can write, record audio and video, and join in with Zoom calls.For many years, our home was crammed full of children, toys, books, pets, clothes and everything else a family gathers. My kids shared bedrooms, sleeping in bunk beds. They even shared beds, but that was a preference, not a necessity.
Too Anxious to Unschool?
Some parents say they can't let go of control and unschool because they're too anxious about the outcome. What if things don't work out and kids fail to receive the upbringing and education they need? Perhaps it seems like unschooling and anxiety are incompatible.But I've never had a problem with unschooling despite my anxiety. That's because I believ
When Children Move Out of an Unschool Home
Some parenting ‘experts’ advise us to push our kids out of the family home as soon as possible. They tell us to make our kids stand on their own two feet. But my husband and I have ignored this advice. We’re happy for our kids to remain with us as long as they need to be here. Some of them moved out of home when they were 18 or 19. Some stayed longer. Now, we only have one child left.
How to Respond to ‘Unlovable’ Kids and Cats
Love or Fear? What Guides Our Lives?
Ordinary Frida Kahlo Eyebrow Days
Parenting: Doing Our Inadequate Best
Do you ever look back - a few years, months or even days - at your younger self and wish you could have done better? Perhaps you remember dragon parent days when you failed to be gentle. Could you have said things you now regret? I know I do.Sometimes, I want to go back and put things right. But even if it were possible to retrace my steps, perhaps it’s unnecessary to begin again.
Words Matter
What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
Do You Need a Happy List?
Put on Your Real-Life Maths Eyes
A Perfect Curriculum or Unschooling?
Is It Time to Have an Unschool Adventure?
Helping Kids When Their Interests Are Different to Ours
Occasionally, parents ask me: "How do we help our kids with their interests when we don't share them?" Here are some thoughts and suggestions for both younger and older unschoolers.
The Unschool Challenge: Writing an End-of-the-Year Review
The changeover of the years is an excellent time to examine our lives, isn't it? As Socrates said, An unexamined life is not worth living. Yes, we should think about the year that's just ended. What did we learn? How did we grow? Is our family going in the right direction? Do we need to make some changes? And what will we take forward with us into the year that's about to begin? What are our hopes?
Do You Have an Anti-Library?
There are two untidy, unread book towers balanced on my desk. Every now and then, I add another book to one of the piles. And occasionally, I remove a book, settle somewhere comfortable and read it.Standing in front of the book display in our local department store, Big W, I used to say to my daughter, Imogen, “I’d love to buy this book, but I shouldn’t. I’ve got lots of unread books at home.” I thought collecting more books was greedy when I hadn’t worked my way through the ones I already owned.
