Detox and Unschooling
I've wanted to sit down and write but find it hard to get motivation, because of all the sorting I have been doing in my brain। When I came out of the "closet" about the freedom I am experiencing in Christ, my reading of "The Shack" and then my stance that "spanking isn't the best option", friends of many years sent me e-mails, accusing me of not "believing in spanking", being "deceived" and believing in a "different" Jesus। I was also encouraged to be sure to let my husband know "what I am getting into", as if after 28 years of marriage I would be hiding something from him or that he would not "know"। One friend banded me from her e-mail list। It has been emotional and has striped away another layer of grave clothes I did not even know I was wearing.I have continued to read and read and read and I an abosorbing this new God of Love. Some of the stuff I read tells me I am going through religious detox. Since I am a certified herbalist and do "detoxes" and am familiar with the side effects, I can understand why this religious detox does not feel so good at times, but I can deal with it know it is producing a "cleaner" me and drawing me to the Father's heart of love.Part of the religious detox has been almost feeling "mad" at times. Feeling taken advantage of and used by Christians. People I have poured my life into for years totally not reading me or REALLY knowing me. I find myself being very cynical and judgemental of the systems I was into for years, namely the "homeschool" movement and all its GURUS. I seem to be more sensitive to the insensitivity of "Christians". It just burns me. Then I struggle with the ideas that I am not being "very Christian" for having such thoughts. I run back to my Abba Father and bury my face in his shoulders. It seems he pats me on the back and says he understands; He deals with it a million fold! LOL!So, what does this have to do with unschooling. My children are being detoxed too. I have spent time just sharing with them all that I am learning. They have read "The Shack" (the 14 and 17 year old), and now I am reading it out loud to all five at home 17, 14, 11, 9, 5. We are going to finish it today. My 16 year old is reading "Messy Spirituality" and my 14 year old is reading "Wide Open Spaces" and they are asking me to finish reading "Divine Nobodies" which I started reading to them a while back. This is on their own initiative. In my religious world, I would make sure they were doing their "devotion" time, or at least nag about it! As a result of them reading we talk alot about issues of life and how they relate to God. I really see the detoxing in my 17 year old. The strange thing, is for about 5 years we weren't even in church. But, I was still religious. We go to Church now, very loosely and are not evolved in a the meetings and junk!I do a postal route for 2 hours in the morning and then come home and the we read together. They like it and I like gathering them under my wing most days. Like I said, we are reading "The Shack" and then will finish "Divine Nobodies". I have a book called "God Has A Dream" by Desmond Tutu. My 24 year daughter is adopting from Africa, so we like to read some things to learn of Africa. We read "Left to Tell" which was about the Rwanda Holocost. We are also going to read "What is the What" or something like that. During this reading time I am reading the gospels and we are trying to just look at Jesus, seeing what HE was like and not what we have been taught He was like on earth. We have a book called "World History Through the Bible", which I read a bit from some days. We are just trying to put the pieces together, Chronologically.After this time, most of the day is spent doing what ever every one wants. I have stuff laying around they can do, I try to always get resources when they ask me for something.I have an online Phonics program that my 9 year old does some days. he was 9 in Jan. and is still barely reading. So, I suggest to him to do the phonics, encouraging that one day it will click, as he really wants to be able to read so he can read the Zelda walk throughs. Funny thing, the first time he beat Zelda, I had to read all the walk throughs and the prompts on the game. Now he does not need the walk through and is reading some of the prompts himself. Progress!!When my children were young, preschoolers, I just read to them and played with them. In my younger years, (I have been homeschooling for 26 years), I had more moments of panic and resorted to cirriculum in insecurity. I think I might be freed from that now!! LOL! Maybe exorcised would be a better word. My older girls do ask me for stuff like Math and spelling and then they work it totally on their own. My 17 year is into astronomy right now and various science stuff. She like getting on forums that debate Creation and Evolution and then we talk about that.My children play various internet sites, do the Wii. They get series of programs and like to watch it until they have seen them all; most recently it has been "Avatar". Others have included Anne of Green Gables, Lost In Space, I love Lucy, Little House On The Prairie, Star Wars.For the month of May we are taking Hip Hop Dance on Tuesdays and Art on Thursday. I direct a Community Girls Choir and we practice on Wednesdays, which 2 of my girls participate. My 16 year old works at a bakery and cleans houses for people at times. My 14 year takes piano. Totally her own thing. I NEVER tell her to practice, she just does it. I taught my 16 year to play guitar a couple of years ago and she has taken off on her own. Now I am teaching basics to my 9 year old at his request.The girls are seldem bored, not that bordem is necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it is the seed bed for imagination. My 9 year old, the only boy at times, does get bored at times and gets sick of being nagged all the time!! So, I am constantly having talks of loving and respecting and honoring people's space.Obviously there is no lack of opportunity for learning. Thanks for the opportunity to type it out, because now if anyone thinks we are not "learning" I can pull this post out! Hey, in fact if I have a week moment regarding homeschooling, I may just re रीड!
