The Road Less Taught

Every family is different.

This isn’t a story about what anyone else should do.

It’s a story about finally admitting what I wanted and having the courage to build toward it.

Have you ever had a moment where you realized the life you were living wasn’t quite aligned with the life you wanted? ❤️

One thing I’ve realized is that we’re not homeschooling just for the “school” part.

✨ We’re homeschooling for the lifestyle. ✨

Our days naturally include academics, but they also include things that I think matter just as much: personal responsibility, helping around the house, taking care of pets, getting outside, moving our bodies, creating, solving conflicts, communicating, reading, following interests, and learning how to simply be part of a family team.

And yes, my kids play video games and watch TV.

We’re not anti-screen.

We just try not to let it become the main event. It’s one part of life, not the center of it.

The more I’ve focused on building a lifestyle I want my kids to carry into adulthood, the less tightly I’ve held onto academics.

Not because academics don’t matter.

But because I’ve come to believe that the learning that sticks is often the learning that connects to a person’s interests, goals, and real life. That’s REAL learning. The learning that stays with us and isn’t forgotten the moments it’s regurgitated onto a worksheet or test.

That’s the beauty of homeschooling for us.

It’s never really been about recreating school at home.

It’s about creating a life where learning is woven into the day. And it’s honestly so amazing to see. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Hope this helps 🫶🏼

A summer of UNlearning and RElearning for us parents ☀️

Add your favourite recommendations in the comments 👇🏼

I used to hold a lot of beliefs about how things HAD to be when it came to kids, school, and family life … and over time, many of them have shifted … and continue to shift.

I’m curious what yours were.

What’s a belief you grew up with, or once felt strongly about, that you’ve since questioned or completely changed your mind on?

One memory from when my son was around 5 still sticks with me. ❤️‍🩹 I’m giving myself a big hug as I re-tell this experience.

We were at the library and there was a table full of trains, cars, tracks, all the fun stuff. Another little boy was playing there too, probably around 2 or 3 years old.

My son decided all the vehicles were blasting off into space. 🚀

The younger boy was fascinated by him. Watching him. Copying him. Laughing.

My son kept taking the vehicles the younger boy was using to show him how the game worked. Not because he was trying to be mean. Because in his 5 year old mind, he was trying to get him involved in the game he was imagining and creating.

As I observed, I could see two kids figuring each other out. But if I’m being fully honest, I could also feel myself getting hot & bothered …

That familiar pit in my stomach. Maybe you can relate to the feeling …

The other dad started making comments to his son.

“Don’t let him take that.”

“Come play over here.”

And eventually, “He’s being a bully. He’s taking all your toys. Don’t play with him.”

I remember feeling crushed.

Because while my son absolutely wasn’t navigating the interaction perfectly, “bully” wasn’t what I was seeing at all.

I was seeing a loud, enthusiastic, slightly overbearing 5 year old trying to lead a game.

I was seeing learning … yes, it was messy learning in some ways I guess. The kind that doesn’t always look good from the outside.

I ended up taking my son and leaving before he was ready for the game to end because I couldn’t handle the comments anymore. Ultimately, I just wanted to escape the situation.

Looking back, I realize so much of that moment wasn’t about my son at all.

❤️‍🩹 It was about me. ❤️‍🩹 … about much I cared what other people thought … and how hard it was to trust my own read on the situation when someone else was judging it so differently.

He’s almost 9 now and things are so much easier in many ways lol …

But I still think about that little boy version of him.

And I still remind myself: Not every loud child is a problem to solve. Sometimes they’re just a child growing right out in the open for everyone to see.

I know what it feels like to have a question sitting quietly in the back of your mind that you’re almost afraid to say out loud.

Not because you’re looking for something easy … not because you’re trying to purposely rebel against the norm.

But because something inside you keeps nudging you to look a little deeper … to ask the questions … to explore the other possibilities … the other paths.

The hardest part isn’t usually finding information … there is more information than ever before right at our fingertips.

The hardest part is learning to trust yourself when your thoughts don’t match what everyone around you seems to believe.

To go against the grain.

If this is where you are right now, you don’t need to rush. You don’t need to have your entire future figured out.

You are allowed to be curious … you’re allowed to ask questions … and you are allowed to imagine a different possibility for your family.