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We've been home/unschooling for 13 years. We're still learning, growing and constantly changing. I went through a divorce and had to move my kids back to my home town, so we'd have help of family nearby. A year later I met my new husband, eventually re-married, moved again and again before we finally bought our home and settled. I had 2 more children in the midst of all this and continued to keep my kids at home, except for my oldest who asked to go to the public school at 13 y/o. He graduates this year, but inspite of his being in PS he has carried on his independent learning style and studies what interests him in and outside of school. We all have had to make adjustments and changes which isn't easy, its the death of an old way, thought, idea, or lifestyle and the birth of another. Life is full of deaths and births of new situations, its a constant motion of traveling circles. We all have to make transitions that aren't always comfortable. Sometimes the changes are necessary and sometimes they are not, but it gives us another opportunity to commence learning, growing, death, birth, and life. Life is constantly in motion and we can't stop it if we try...even in death. A plant may die and decay, but it becomes a part of the soil and eventually a new plant will show up in its place to blossom and bloom. The sun may set and the world go dark, but eventually it'll rise again and bring us light and warmth. As to schooling, we started out doing school at home with a traditional set curriculum and eventually cycled to unschooling as we grew. Home education was a new idea to me back 13 years ago. It was the death of the old idea that kids could only learn from a certified teacher and blossomed to the point that I trust the desires of my child to learn whatever their hearts desire. My definition of unschooling would be; The freedom to learn the lessons of life in the way that interests one the most. Our hearts will always lead us in the right direct

Brown

Thanks for the wisdom - not so much that I didn't know it already, but more that at these times I sometimes need reminding!

Nest4Robin@... wrote:

> We all have had to make adjustments and changes which isn't easy, its the death of an old way, thought, idea, or lifestyle and the birth of another. Life is full of deaths and births of new situations, its a constant motion of traveling circles. We all have to make transitions that aren't always comfortable. Sometimes the changes are
> necessary and sometimes they are not, but it gives us another opportunity to commence learning, growing, death, birth, and life. Life is constantly in motion and we can't stop it if we try...even in death. A plant may die and decay, but it becomes a part of the soil and eventually a new plant will show up in its place to blossom and bloom. The sun may set and the world go dark, but eventually it'll rise again and bring us light and warmth.

This is all so true.

> It was the death of the old idea that kids could only learn from a certified teacher and blossomed to the point that I trust the desires of my child to learn whatever their hearts desire. My definition of unschooling would be; The freedom to learn the lessons of life in the way that interests one the most. Our hearts will always lead us in the
> right direct

Perhaps before we can trust our children's desires, we have first to trust our own. And many of us mothers find that very hard to do - we have, so many of us, been brought up to believe that a mother's desires / wants / needs are right at the bottom of the priority list. I know I struggle a lot with 'should's' - even after decades of trying to escape them!

Carol