How do kids learn things that connect with their souls and set their imagination on fire?

How do the fireflies of inspiration spark their spirits? Can I help keep those iridescent lights of creativity shining?

I ask myself these questions…they are big questions.

I know that for me putting the kids in a schooling environment stopped being an option when I saw them shrinking and the sparkle diminishing from their eyes.

I also know that this may not be easy to read, especially if in your heart you feel through my words that there is a glimmer of truth that may relate to your life. In fact if my kids were in school and I read this I might have stopped by now.

But don’t go! I have something lovely to say.

Parents, I love you, you are amazing, the journey of bringing up children for me is not easy, there are twists and challenges. My kids can break my heart and then in an instant fly me laughing to the moon with some joke that may have crept in sideways when I was trying to say something really serious and meaningful.

These are Ten Things I Tell Myself to Remember Around Parenting

1. To set my kids free, get out of their way, even if that means for a day, an hour, for five minutes.

You don’t have to unschool to do that. It is a mind set, a letting go.

2. Step down

I am not always right, I am often wrong and it is so good to step down.

3. Say sorry

I can burst a bubble of anger in an instant and it is so easy to actually just say sorry.

4. Let them bunk their homework

Let them, at least once in a while if they have to do homework, sometimes just be on their side. Mine don’t have homework but when they did, I let them bunk.

5. Be kind

And if you find you are not being kind, go back to point number 2.

6. Let them run, climb, play  and be silly

Kids need to run, climb and muck around, so do adults really, I am aware that I need to sometimes just run and muck around and so do they.

7. Give them a chance to relax and kick back

As a unschooling parent I have to stop myself from turning things in to a lesson, sometimes they just want to read and relax, I have learnt or am learning to let them be.

8. Be grateful

Even when I am struggling to cope with another spillage, argument or fight, I remind myself how lucky I am, there is so much to be grateful about to have these happy healthy wonderful beings in my life.

9. And when you feel like laughing with them laugh. Don’t let the adult in you stop the child within you from playing

I remind myself to do this, as sometimes when having fun I stop myself, I don’t know why, the adult voice in me tries to take over, I am learning to push that voice aside and laugh and enjoy my kids as much as I can.

10. And love them, then love them a little bit more.

I am not a shiny parent set here on earth with angel wings and a glowing halo, I get grumpy and impatient. I have to remind myself constantly to play and ease up. I sometimes go in to the bathroom and bite my fist. But I do check myself as to how I show up because I am aware that we (and if you are a parent I include you in this) lovely parents, are creating the future, think about that for a moment. These children will be bringing up our grandchildren.

So lets to do our best to put our own personal stuff aside in the moments of frustration. This time is moving so incredibly fast and in a flash their childhood will be a distant memory.

Let’s love them as much as we can.