Life learning - no school required

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When I was pregnant with PM I thought briefly of homeschooling and thought there was no way I could do such a thing. I don’t have the personality or patience. I couldn’t imagine sitting and making my child do work or teaching them something they aren’t interested in learning. Another good reason not to have kids in school right there – I dread the thought of feeling like my kid has to complete homework and I would be expected to make sure it gets done. There are enough things in life that I feel are important and schoolwork isn’t one of them.

So I had written off the idea of homeschooling but then when PM was young I was reading more about parenting and that led me to unschooling and it seemed so right. Of course! I trust my child in many ways – why not trust him to learn what he needs and wants to learn? Why not trust that it is natural to want to be a part of the life in which we belong – and learning is a constant in life.

As with other ‘big’ decisions I have made, once I realized unschooling was an option, I just took it on as the way things are. It is like this with vaccinations. I didn’t feel the need to research and read up on the pros and cons – it felt right and natural to steer clear of the jabs. And now it feels right and natural to trust that my kids are learning everyday regardless of the fact that we don’t have set learning schedules.

And now, as the kids grow and come into themselves, I am doubly glad that they don’t have to be shipped off to someone else to take care of them. PM is now 5 and I can’t see a school environment working for him. LB would be more able to take care of herself but I believe it would change some of her natural trust in the world and there’s plenty of time for that when she’s older.

Our journey is evolving and I trust we will have all we need to continue to give our kids the living environment they need…

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