The Accidental UNschooler!

oy my--as my best friend likes to say. I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted or even have had time to sit and think about posting.

It's hard not to beat oneself up for things left undone when life gets busy. School, for instance, would be one of those things. My son has been happily neglected in that department lately, but I have to admit that it hasn't been all bad. It has taught me a couple of things that are pretty important to any homschooling mom who gets weighed down with the responsibility of making sure all the i's are dotted and all the t's are crossed.

1. Boys don't learn to ride bikes when sitting in front of the table doing lessons.
2. Boys don't get bumps, bruises and scrapes from climbing trees while doing lessons.
3. Boys don't learn about "Jedi Reflexes" that prevent deadly falls off of trampolines while doing lessons.
4. Boys don't get to run with a pack of other boys, getting dirty and sweaty and then falling into bed at night happy and exhausted while doing lessons.
5. Boys don't get to choose and finally come around and say, "Mom--I want to start doing school again. I want to learn to read." when they are burning out on lessons.

So that's where we are. All of those things have happened since we began our home-based business and I'm figuring out that unschooling can be really good. He's very enthusiastic about the business also, and has watched us working harder and in a different way than he's ever seen before. I don't think that any of this is wasted time, and now, learning to read is his choice, not something I'm pushing. Last week schools let out for the summer, and here we are, getting ready to start again, as long as the pool / play / bike riding allows. Ah, happy boyhood!