Confessions of an Unschooling Working Mom

Ahhhh, the kid's fun and wild holiday is now over.

We had a party (love our neighbors!)
We opened presents (Yahoo! A day of wild over-stimulation)
We spent the night in the big city (we are such small town folks)
We rode the train (this was fun!)
Ice skated (when will they make skates that are less painful?)
Saw Santa (sweet man!)
Played in the snow (Yes, I made a snow angel)
Opened more presents (they keep coming)
Cleaned and cleaned (wish I had my own Alice)
Still wading through packaging (made a vow to purchase only low packaging gifts next year)
Took the tree down (ah, we did it!)

So joyously back into my work (for those of you who don't know, I have three businesses from home) and I have so many new creative ideas for the coming year. I plan to write the next book in the Homeschooling Adventure Books Series, redesign the website, make tons of improvements for Authentic Times, write a workbook for the Peace Treaty... oh, I'll stop there as the list just goes on and on.

I love the life of creative freedom my husband and I have built for ourselves.

I am looking at my two sweet boys thinking, I wonder if they are happy finding things to do on their own, while I work so intensely... I wonder if their life has enough meaning when I don't have the time I used to have to spend with them exploring the world.

So I lightheartedly asked them, "Would you boys be happier if you went to school to play for the next couple of months while I get through these projects?"

The look was hilarious! They both were bewildered, and said, "Huh?"
Once it registered they said, "No WAY!" and "You're kidding right?"

I laughed and realized that they were fine. Busy. Happy.

As your kids get older, they need you less. The years I spent being a part of their every moment, is now gone. We still have fun exploring the world together, but only a few days a week, the rest of their time is spent exploring with their dad or creating their own happy life.

What children learn about life on a daily basis is subtle.
What mine have learned is how to live a life as creatively free as their parents.