When Princess was 3 we made the decision to put her in preschool so that I would be able to work more. I was a self-employed massage therapist, so I could set my own hours. She started with three mornings. This was hard for her, but she handled it pretty well. Since she seemed to be doing okay, I decided to extend my work day and her school day.
By the end of the first week I called The Lizard King crying. I missed my Princess so much and I hated being away from her that long. LK, being the supportive man he is, instantly suggested I cut back my hours. What a relief! As time went by, even with the shorter days, LK and I saw our daughter fading away. Our happy little girl, who always had a smile on her face, was becoming a very somber and reserved child. It was heartbreaking. We were afraid that if we didn't make a change, Princess would be lost forever.
We were in bed one night discussing what to do because it was so painfully obvious that what we were doing was not working. We didn't want to put her in public school, and private school wasn't an option for many reasons. Besides, how would either of those options be any better?! I turned to LK and said, "What about homeschooling?" His response? "That will work!"
After that it was a whirlwind of rearranging things. At last everything was settled and Princess and I were home together. I read a lot of books on homeschooling. I read books on unschooling. I found Yahoo groups, both local and global. And I found Village Home, my community...our community.
Unschooling spoke to me, although I didn't really understand how it worked for young children. How can you unschool reading and basic math? Well, I needn't have worried, Princess is showing me how everyday.
Many people worry that they don't have the patience for this. LK will tell you that I have no patience. It is something I am working on. Princess is so worth it. I love the time I have with my her and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
