Holly Clark joins me this week, mom to two always unschooled children living on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Holly shared so many amazing snippets of their lives which all tied into the idea of choice—the choices we make as parents, the choices our children make, and our choice to support their choices! We also talked about fear about technology, when children want to quit an activity, and much more!

Questions for Holly

Can you share with us a bit about you and your family? What is everybody interested in right now?

How did you discover unschooling and what did your family’s move to unschooling look like?

When we were arranging our call, I asked if there was an unschooling topic you were particularly passionate about and you answered: choices. I love that! It’s a seemingly simple answer, but so incredibly far-reaching. Everything really is a choice, isn’t it? 

When it comes to unschooling, one important aspect is choosing to actively support our kids as they explore their interests and learn about the world. That’s not so hard to do when we feel like their interests have “value.” But eventually they choose something we’re not so comfortable with and that’s when our real work starts. Can you share what that process has looked like for you?

Another aspect of choice that comes into play is around parenting. We are surrounded by so much conventional parenting advice that it can be hard to wade through it all to discover the person and parent we want to be for our kids. Sometimes it feels scary to embrace that choice, but it’s also so freeing, isn’t it?

What has surprised you most so far about your unschooling journey?

Things mentioned in the episode

Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff

Parenting a Free Child: An Unschooled Life by Rue Kream

Joyce’s Unschooling Toolbox

Holly is on Instagram as @holly_blossoming

Holly’s Facebook page, One family, Unschooling

Transcript

Read the transcript

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