Home is the Hero

Gus is back. He had a blast. He starts many, many sentence with "when I was in Jacksonville, Florida......" He had all these amazing experiences, he got to fly with Grandma and have her all to himself on the trip.  He saw the Spaceshuttle Discovery take off, helped "rescue" a turtle who needed help getting back to the pond, went to a movie, went to the beach (saw the Atlantic), saw Alex play soccer. Aunt Lisa got him a watch for his birthday and he loves being able to tell the time, counting by fives! The dynamic in the house without him was interesting. There was still the usual bickering and aggression... so it was actually good that that can't be pinned on him! He looks bigger and seems louder, but that is probably due to the decrease in noise without him! I am seeking balance again... I think that unschooling is probably the best way for kids to learn, especially my kids who don't seem to do well at all in traditional learning environments. When I think of how I need them to behave in school mode it makes me wonder how much "homeschooling" I am doing and how much I am just doing "school at home". I can't see myself becoming a complete "unschooler"... it takes a lot of faith in the process and a lot of trust in the child's innate ability and hunger for learning. I'm not there yet.