Amazing Games Children Play

I'm not feeling very well this morning, the baby has had quite a few fussy nights, so I've been pretty uninspired. The girls have been moving in and out of the house all morning. Just now, I hear them in my bedroom playing their game. It sounds like they are veterinarians or animal rescuers who have found a chimpanzee, "old Graybeard". My 7yo said, "Quick! Jane Goodall will be at the animal shelter in 10 minutes. If we get him there fast, she'll take care of him!" My 5yo has been so taken with Jane Goodall since she heard Raffi sing about Gombe. We've found some books at the library about Goodall which she has loved reading. She even named her chimp Beanie Baby "Jubilee", just like Jane.

It's amazing what they can come up with when left to develop their own play. It's always been a pet peeve of mine to hear adults over directing children's play. Some adults think they will be able to make it more imaginative or educational, when really most children want you to play along with their ideas.

Now, we're off to have lunch before the older girls have Little Flowers this afternoon.

Unschool Panic

It's been a while since I posted on my baby blog, but I had an uncontrollable bout of unschool panic. The kind where it seizes you deep in the pit of your stomach. Where you just want to be like everyone else and fit in. The constant worry that maybe you're wrong and your children will grow up to be uncivilized illiterates......

Then you slowly come back down to earth and things don't seem so bad. You hear other mothers fretting over whether their 9th grader should do life science or not. How others actually grade and give their children partial credit on math problems. You see people who somehow think they have to match the school requirements of credits and classes for college entrance.

Now, I know I don't have a "high schooler" yet, but I find this all puzzling. I'm about 10 years off from having a child in college, but I can honestly say I have no idea what college will be like in 10 years. With the economy in the shape it is in and kids coming out of school with huge debts and no jobs, I'm not sure it will look the same.

I also had a personal revelation recently when it occured to me that I have 2 college degrees, but no skills! I have a B.S. in Finance and a Master's in Public Administration and yet I really can't "do" anything. Oh well, I have to do better for my girls and help them see numerous possibilities and ways of reaching their goals.

So, I will be posting more now in my effort to show my girls that writing is important. Hopefully, if they see me spending time writing, they will do the same.