unschool?

I'm creating this post quite simply because I wish I'd known about unschool years ago. And I'm sick, on my couch. So.
 I do now, and when we know better, we do better. No cockiness intended. Really. I just feel sorry for putting my older kids in school. Sorta. It's part of my living and learning. And that, my friends, is unschool. Live and learn. And love. That is life. If you can manage all three l's, you're set for life.

Once upon a time, I had two kids. Boy was 5, off to kindergarten after being home with mommy. Girl goes off to kindergarten. Eventually the kids get a step brother, who is in first grade, and their little brother also goes off to kindergarten. See? We obeyed.

Four kids. Three different schools. Twirling, after school tutoring, broken arm, leg, foot, baseball, ballet, football, cheer, ortho, scuba, horse camp, asthma, camping, vacay, holidays and the  skate park, spend the nights, the ex, his ex, custody, summer camp, we need groceries, dogs barking, bills, permission slips, teacher conferences, band practice, your teacher called, whatdoyoumeanourboycathadakitten, field trips, a fever, a rash, a ride here, there, everywhere and the bus is late so we're late to the check up and ohshit what's for supper, a project due WHEN?!

No. Why teach our children that chaos is life when it doesn't have to be?

We sorta landed here, to be honest. The freedom. Hubby and I worked, he worked full time, I worked part time. Ya know, what society teaches, yay for humpday, Friday, the weekend. Now he's a firefighter, 24/48's. Due to health/disabilty issues, I'm unable to work. Yeah, like Cajer isn't work. Ha. ;-) Yes you can live happily on one income. It's all about priorities.

Last night, Cajer wanted his daddy to.build a cave. So we learned about caves. We live near Wakulla Springs, we learned about underwater caves, and Mariana Caverns, and he decided daddy could build him a bunker type fort instead. Stay tuned!

To me, unschool is freedom. Freedom from expectations created by legislation. Freedom to learn on Saturday night or Wednesday morning. Freedom to learn how to count when it becomes necessary. Freedom to learn a new language or play the guitar. All of these things are needed. So why shove certain topics down my child's throat? Freedom to teach my child what I feel he should know. Like, his rights as an American, how he got those rights. How he can defend those rights. Where his food comes from, how God intended him to live.