In this week’s podcast, episode 128, Cricket is my unschooling guest podcaster.
The Colin Show
- Cricket tells us about her family
- She shares their journey from school-at-home homeschooling to unschooling
Cricket recorded her guest podcast with her son Colin’s help. Please visit Colin’s Youtube Channel, The Colin Show, and subscribe!
Hitting the Pause Button
- I share some of the responses from my Stories of an Unschooling Family survey
- I respond to some constructive criticism
- I talk about some changes I could make
- I tell you what I’m going to do next, how I’m hitting the pause button for a while and taking a break
I also talk about:
- Accepting ourselves as well as our kids
- Quiet times and how they are essential
- How we can make a big difference by doing little things
- The importance of feedback
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling.
Please feel welcome to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. Or just stop by to say hello.
A big thank you to Cricket for being this week’s guest podcaster. Thank you to everyone who filled in my survey. And a special thank you to my understanding Patreon patrons!
Image: I took this photo on a recent family outing to a local open garden. While the pause button is engaged, I plan to spend lots of time with my family. I also want to relax and ‘waste’ some time. Once I have recharged and regained my enthusiasm and excitement, maybe I’ll be back!
Cricket, We had desks in our living room too! I loved hearing about your unschooling journey. Thanks for sharing it.
Sue, I love your conversational way of podcasting! It helps keep me motivated with our unschooling. It really works for me. I can tell you spend time preparing, especially after I had the experience of making my own recording for your podcast! Love what you have to say about quiet times. Unschooling has really helped me to accept slow times instead of tiring myself out spinning my wheels. I was also happy to hear about the positive notes and emails you have been receiving! 🙂
PS The first time I heard someone say “zed” I didn’t know what it meant! We in the US of course say “zee.” But I think we are the odd ones out with that.
Venisa,
Recording ourselves chatting about unschooling sounds easy, doesn’t it? We just plug in the mic and start talking. Or maybe we don’t! I bet you spent a long time thinking about what you wanted to say and then recording and re-recording until you had something you were happy with. I appreciate the time and effort you put into your podcast contribution. I’m glad you enjoyed Cricket’s story!
It was so lovely to receive your messages and those of my other patrons. They really lifted my spirits and made me feel loved and valued. Thank you!
Zee and Zed… Isn’t it interesting comparing our different ways of saying things? I just hope everyone can understand what I mean!
It’s been lovely to chat. I hope all is well with you and your family. Thank you for listening to my podcast!
I agree with Venisa, I love the conversational way you speak as it’s so encouraging and uplifting as well as being full of passion. I believe you need to stay true to yourself and your passions!
As much as I will miss your blog posts, podcasts and videos, I hope you do have a good quiet time and that, along with quality family time, you will find where to direct your time and passions in the future (whether it means returning to what you have been doing and/or going in new directions).
I am very grateful that you can pause your patreon page as I still want to support you after my husband gets a full time job. Blessings to you and your wonderful family. 🙂
Alison,
“I believe you need to stay true to yourself and your passions!” Thank you! It’s good to know I can be me and that’s okay.
I’ve hardly begun my break from blogging and podcasting, but already I’ve had some new ideas. I’m going to ponder them, but I’m not going to rush into anything new. I think it will be good to have some quiet time and do ‘nothing’ for a while.
Alison, you are such a beautiful and generous person. Pledges are good because there are fees that need paying. However, encouraging words that make me feel valued and loved are even better. Thank you for always making me feel so good. I hope and pray your husband finds full-time work very soon. Blessings to you and your family too!
“Trust, respect and love unconditionally.” These words also apply to ourselves.
Love yourself enough to take a break, respect the process of pausing, and trust that an answer for future direction will come to you eventually.
I too am pausing or trying to. I find myself grasping for the next idea to organise myself and the next exciting thought to try. Maybe I need to stop everything and see how that goes.
We are on two week’s leave now, so will see if I feel the need to fill the time with tasks and places to be, or if I can just rest and trust, respect and love unconditionally.
Thanks my friend, for all your valuable words over time. You are a gentle spirit with a passionate heart. It will fill again, if you don’t force the process.
xo Jazzy Jack
Jack,
We get so busy it’s hard to pause. But I agree that sometimes that’s just what we need to do. I think technology and the Internet make it harder for us to stop. Life goes at such a fast pace. Can we really afford to step back and risk getting left behind? Or can we really afford not to stop? And maybe we’ve also been taught that resting is equivalent to wasting time. We always need to be doing something. I’ve accepted quiet times for my kids and now I need to accept I need them myself. “Love yourself enough to take a break, respect the process of pausing, and trust that an answer for future direction will come to you eventually.” Yes, I like those words very much!
I really enjoyed watching your last three videos. You have a beautiful voice and I’m so glad I was able to share your Easter music. I hope you are enjoying your break and that you’re resting, trusting and loving yourself unconditionally.
It’s always good to share thoughts with you. Thank you for stopping by.
Selfishly my first response to your news was “Oh no, I only just discovered your blog and you’re taking a break!”
But there’s no faking it here and when you are giving and sharing an experience you have to be IN the experience… not thinking you should, or that people are counting on you, or that you promised.
I think that might be where my unease about Patreon comes from, I love the idea of people giving you a donation as a thank you for what you’ve given them, no expectations. I worry that having patrons changes the dynamic, and suddenly you are beholden to these people, you start looking at all the work and time and care you’ve poured into your podcast, and blog and videos and somehow you are now partly working for these patrons when before you worked for yourself. What did Mae West say? “I’m not cheap, I’m free and there’s a world of difference”.
You have provided a huge resource here, I still have 120 podcasts to listen to and hundreds of blog posts to read 🙂 Thank you for your generosity.
Before you move on from your homeschooling focus, I hope you’ll consider having someone help you complete the book, the world needs your words, experience, stories, photos, discoveries, encouragement, kind heartedness and love. And many of your readers would be so happy to pay for your book and support you this way.
“The Joy of Unschooling”?
Ha, I really can’t talk, my ceramics career is on hold while I begin homeschooling my 6 year old, and I’m finding it awkward communicating with my collectors and galleries who expect me to be back to work, and to be thankful for all the opportunities I’m being offered! It’s uncomfortable hitting the brakes and changing direction after so many years of driving my career forward. And such a fickle career it is, all glamour and little pay. Why does taking a break feel so subversive?
All the best for your free time Sue
Hana xx
Hana,
I think you are right: We have to be passionate about what we’re doing otherwise our work isn’t so valuable. It will lack the spark that will attract other people. And I think this is exactly the reason I thought I should close my Patreon page. Yes, I had ideas for things I could create for my patrons, but I had to admit the spark was missing. However much I wanted to do something for the kind people who have chosen to support me, I lacked the passion and so wouldn’t have produced anything worth sharing. Saying that I still do like a few of the content ideas that I was going to share with my patrons. Maybe it’s just the timing that’s wrong. I might return to them after I’ve had a break.
Thank you so much for encouraging me to finish my book. Maybe I will do that now that I’m not thinking about the next blog post or podcast. Yes, it is uncomfortable hitting the brakes even for me who isn’t doing this as a career. Years ago, when I gave up my job (in a university research lab) to have my first child, I was anxious about being left behind. I can remember making copious notes about all my skills so that I could find another job when I felt ready to get back to work. However, I never went back to work, at least not to a paid position. And I’ve never regretted that. I wouldn’t have missed a minute of parenting my kids and so many exciting opportunities have opened up and I’ve done things I’d never imagined myself doing. I’ve continued learning and loving and enjoying new experiences even if I’ve never earnt much money. So maybe we worry too much about clinging to what we have and what we’ve achieved. The future may look totally different to what we imagine but it could be very good. I’m wondering what’s ahead. I would like to earn some money as well as continue to help people. I’m sure that will happen. Maybe writing books will be the answer.
There is indeed a lot of content on my blog and I’ve recorded lots of podcasts. I know I’ve tagged everything and I have a search function on my blog, but I’d like to bring some of my old posts to the top of the pile for new readers. So each week, I’m going to change the content of the sidebar and stick a different old post at the head of my blog. Even if I’m not producing anything new, perhaps readers will still find something of interest to read.
Hana, I hope you find a solution to your career dilemma. It must be so hard when you’re being offered a lot of opportunities. I guess the collectors and galleries don’t understand. They only see one side of the story, and so they wonder why you’d even consider not returning to work.
Thank you so much for writing such a helpful comment. Your words have really encouraged me to keep working on my book. It’s been good to chat with you!
I will miss your new updates and will read/listen to past posts and podcasts while you are taking a break. I hope you are back soon, but I certainly understand how stepping back helps with perspective. God’s peace and wisdom be yours!
Kristyn,
“God’s peace and wisdom be yours!” Yes, I think we get so busy we forget to listen to God. Thank you so much for your kind words. May God bless you and your family.
Hello there!
Just wanted to stop by and say hello, as I’m a mum of a two year old in England and we are going to be starting our unschooling journey soon. I follow you on bloglovin and look forward to your future posts 🙂
all the best x
Hayle,
I’m so glad you stopped by to say hello. You have lots of wonderful unschooling adventures ahead of you, I’m sure! It’s lovely to know you’re looking forward to reading new posts. Thank you so much for your comment!
I’ve enjoyed your podcasts very much! We are not unschoolers, but your content, as well as the conversational way you do your podcasts, has educated me as to what unschooling actually can be, and I’ve learned so much! I will look forward to going through your archives. Thank you.
Beth,
I’m so pleased you’ve been enjoying my podcasts even though you aren’t unschoolers. That makes me smile! I hope you find something interesting to listen to in my archives. Thank you so much for stopping by with your kind feedback!
Hi Sue, I’ve missed you! Listening to you in the car generally makes me smile. I also interrupt you at times, oops ;-). I haven’t visited your blog in a while – didn’t you have tutorials about creating the blog? Maybe that was a few blogs ago. One of my young folks had some questions, and I wanted to send her your way 🙂
Hi Beate,
It’s so lovely to see you on my blog! Thank you for missing me. I wish I could chat with you in real life. You could interrupt me all you like and we could have a wonderful conversation!
Unfortunately, I haven’t written any tutorials about creating a blog. (I did a series on podcasting.) However, I’d be happy to answer any questions. A new blog? I remember a time when I created a new one every few months. Those were exciting days!