Day Six: Free-Range Kids

Today I am grateful for the right and privilege to homeschool my children, and by default their freedom in childhood.

One of the most important things to a well-rounded education, and life experience, is to have low stress and the freedom to have a say in their subject matter and method of teaching.

I want my kids to be able to breathe, live, and enjoy life, without being stuck in a school and then homework and extra-curriculars from morning until night. 

I want them to be able to bond with their siblings first, and their friends second.

I want to keep them safe from socially acceptable abuse, like bullying or peer pressure.

I want them to be able to pursue their own interests and make their own trails.

I want them to get enough sleep at night, be able to help cook their own meals, and take charge of their own needs.

I want to be able to appreciate things as they come, like a beautiful day to pack a picnic and take studies outside, or a sudden warm rainfall to build dams against and make scientific observations.

I don't want to confine them to age and gender specific roles.

I want to watch their minds expand and unfold before me as they learn new things.

I want to spend every minute I can with them, because no one ever regretted spending too much time with their children while they were young.