Sue Patterson joins me to talk about how the idea of “perfect” can get in the way of living our best unschooling life. We touch on comparisons, tough times, the personal work involved, the gifts that these choices bring, and lots more!

Discussion Points

Let’s start with the genuine excitement that bubbles up when we first discover and start exploring unschooling. No school schedules and homework battles? Connected and respectful relationships with our kids? Having fun? Sounds amazing! It can seem almost Utopian, can’t
it?

As we continue to learn about unschooling and shift our relationship dynamics, we also need to take a deeper dive into what we think unschooling looks like. That Utopian lens begins to fall away. We’re real people, with different personalities and interests. Life has real ups and
downs and challenges. As we read about or listen to unschooling parents sharing their experiences, we begin to more clearly recognize the personal and parenting work that weaves through their stories. Life isn’t “perfect.” It’s time to stop using that ideal as a goal, isn’t it?

There’s something else that may come up as we dive into the personal work and self- awareness that deschooling asks of us. For some, delving into those depths can bring up challenges and even trauma stemming from our experiences growing up. That can be a surprise, can’t it? Sometimes it can feel like deschooling is easier for everyone else.

We’ve talked a lot about how life isn’t “perfect” and how striving for that ideal can get in our way. But there are definitely advantages to the unschooling lifestyle when it comes to moving through challenging times. I thought it’d be great to wrap up our conversation talking about
some of the advantages we’ve seen.

Things mentioned in the episode

Find Sue’s other podcast episodes here

Sue’s daughters’ podcast episodes, Growing Up Unschooling with Katie Patterson and Growing Up Unschooling with Alyssa Patterson

Sue’s website UnschoolingMom2Mom and her Facebook group

Episode transcript

Read the transcript