I genuinely enjoy being with my kids. They are beautiful spirits to be around.
Jude turned five in June which means he would start kindergarten this August if he were going to public school. The thought of dropping him off five days a week and missing those 6 precious hours of his life each day is horrifying to me because yes, I enjoy being around him that much!
My kids don't need a "babysitter" to teach them out of a text book. They need a caring parent to help show them the world and trust that their natural curiosity will lead them to discover all that really matters.
My kids don't need socialization with children who have no clue what respect is. They need to have playdates at homes, parks, museums, and libraries with other lovely children who are free to be unique.
My kids don't need to have to raise their hand to talk. They need to let their thoughts flow freely to a caring parent.
My kids don't need to be told how to learn or what to learn. "A child does not have to be motivated to learn; in fact, learning cannot be stopped. A child will focus on the world around him and long to understand it. He will want to know why things are the way they are. He won’t have to be told to be curious; he will just be curious. He has no desire to be ignorant; rather he wants to know everything. " —Valerie Fitzenreiter, in The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School
Sometimes when I tell people that we are homeschooling or unschooling, they look at me like I just told them we were from the planet Mars. I often get the "oh, but what about their socialization skills, don't you think they need to be around other children?" I politely have to explain that we are in some very active homeschool groups and my children play with other kids multiple times a week. What I really want to say is WTF do you think I do, sit in my house all day long and never let my children see other kids??? Then the "well what about when they get to high school level?" question. Well, I graduated from high school and college so I'm pretty sure I'm capable of teaching them anything they want to know. I understand most of these questions come from innocence and a little ignorance about unschooling too but it aggravates me when people just assume that public school is best for all kids. It works well for some kids but we choose to live by a different philosophy, that of freedom.
I've never understood this more than I do right now. As a former public school teacher, I see the benefits and drawbacks of the public school system. I spend nearly every waking moment with my daughter and never really long for freedom from that. Right now we are lucky that I am able to be with her instead of working outside the home. If the future requires that Davie be in the public school, then I know from teaching experience that a well-rounded, respectful child needs more than a babysitter or a teacher, she needs PARENTS. Parents often think that once their child is in school, their responsibility to teach their children is over. For now, I like hearing about your life.
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