I thought an interview with the kids about how they feel and what they are thinking about would help us begin our unschooling journey.
With Gavin:
1. What do you and I do together?
Ummm. Play games. Make puzzles. Watch movies. Play soccer sometimes. Play Magic The Gathering. Cuddle time and choose one song for you to sing. Sometimes play frisbee. We adventure in Yellowstone and we saw geysers. Like, Goblin Valley and California.
2. What do you like most about your life?
Everything. Games. Legos.
3. What things would you change in your life?
Sometimes you guys shouting at me.* Being not cold in the winter.
4. Are there things you’d like to do more of?
Play Magic The Gathering. Umm. I want to play more games. I want to do more biking. Watch more movies.
5. Are there things in our life you really dislike?
When things are unexpected. Like sometimes there’s certain games I want to play on certain days and you play different games and I don’t like that.
6. What would you like to know more about?
Science. More science. How to make games on the computer.
7. What are you really good at?
Math. Adventures. Playing games that are older than eight. Magic.
8. What are you not as good at?
Aiming at targets. Nothing else.
9. What do you like most about your family?
Because they play games. I like birthdays because I can invite friends. We get to read books together.
10. What do you like least about your family?
I don’t know.
11. How is your life different from other kids your age?
Because other kids like different things. People do different things at different speeds like S last year gets to do three math strips. I’m not in school. I’m homeschooling. I get to do stuff at home and do other things at other places.
12. If you had more love in your life what would that look like?
I don’t know. More time with friends.
With Lilah:
1. What do you and I do together?
Hmmm. We play games. And we read books together. And we’re still working on a puzzle. Sometimes we fly kites. Sometimes we play soccer together.
2. What do you like most about your life?
I like it because I have lots of stuffed animals to sleep with and we get to play lots of games. And sometimes I get to play all day.
3. What things would you change in your life?
I don’t know. When people hurt me; I don’t like that.
4. Are there things you’d like to do more of?
I’d like to read more books and play more games. And I also wanted to sew a lot.
5. Are there things in our life you really dislike?
Sometimes when someone yells at me.* I don’t like that at all.
6. What would you like to know more about?
I wanna learn more cooking and also I would like to learn more about art and I also would like to learn more about birds and animals.
7. What are you good at?
I’m very good at reading. I’m sometimes good at baking and cooking. And I’m very good at hiding presents.
8. What are you not as good at?
Creating things and planting plants ’cause sometimes they don’t grow.
9. What do you like most about your family?
I love Mama. And Daddy. And I also like about my family that they like me too. And I also love Gavin.
10. What do you like least about your family?
I don’t know.
11. How is your life different from other kids your age?
Cause sometimes (a friend) is not nice to me.
12. If you had more love in your life what would that look like?
I don’t know what it would look like. Maybe like a hundred times more than the universe.
*It hurts to hear the kids say this, and it hurts to admit that I do shout and speak in anger and frustration sometimes. Shouting and speaking unkindly is something I am working so hard to end right now. I am making progress but I have a way to go. Obviously this is incredibly important to everyone in our house!
With Mama:
1. What do you and I do together?
Hmm. We read books and we draw and we cuddle. Sometimes we do yoga and dance. I like hula hooping with you. And I like to laugh with you.
2. What do you like most about your life?
I like being able to spend time with my family and enjoying one another and the world.
3. What things would you change in your life?
I wouldn’t change much. We might have decided to invite you home for school earlier so we could have more time together and less stress in our lives.
4. Are there things you’d like to do more of?
Yes! I’d like to do more yoga, more hiking, more reading, more drawing, more painting, more camping! I’d like to tickle you more.
5. Are there things in our life you really dislike?
Yes. I really don’t like speaking unkindly to you or anyone. I want to do better at always, always using non-violent communication. I wish I could spend more time with my sister.
6. What would you like to know more about?
Lots of things! Like, how to identify the squash in our garden before they have squash, what kinds of mushrooms are edible, anything about animals, how brains develop, constellation names and positions, new words.
7. What are you really good at?
I think I’m pretty good at reading, drawing, having fun, hiking, gluten free & vegan baking, being a mom.
8. What are you not as good at?
Keeping all the dishes clean all the time, memorizing dates, talking to people I don’t know, being on time.
9. What do you like most about your family?
That we like to be together and do fun things together.
10. What do you like least about your family?
I’m not sure.
11. How is your life different from other kids your age?
I don’t have to earn a living right now so I have the luxury of spending time with my kids and looking for opportunities for us. We don’t follow a rigid schedule like most people who have to be at school and work at specific times. I have so much less stress without the outside schedule worries.
12. If you had more love in your life what would that look like?
More love for myself (my inner voice) and my body the way it is today. I would feel lighter, be more readily able to happily connect with others without the dark shadow of worry about myself that occasionally affects my interactions now. I would be more confident. The love I have from others is already full to the brim!