Well I've been meaning to record video's for a while now but something always stops me - mostly ME. Ha! I watch my kids and they have an idea and then just do it. So this has really been a practice in 'deschooling' for me. I've written about 'deschooling' before and really it's a predominant theme in an unschooling life, as parents strive to better support their kids and faciliate their interests via our own de-programming.
It seems to me, that contrary to what I imagined, MORE comes up, not LESS as the kids get older. On the other hand, perhaps I have more tools now than before and maybe I can get to the heart of things more efficiently.
So why the bloody hell have I been dragging my feet on this. I love to talk. I don't struggle to come up with ideas that I think will be helpful for other parents.
Honestly I think it's the old 'comparison' chestnut - every second person has a YouTube channel now right? Even two of my kids have dabbled and they certainly did NOT overthink it.
I'm certainly slowed down by tech - it's really not my strong point and although yes, I am very easily able to sit and chat, organising myself into something more structured, that then requires recording, uploading, possibly editing (not likely!) and sharing in a palateable format, well that all seems like such a process. And a project manager I am not.
OK enough talk about what I'm NOT - more talk about what I AM! And I am mother to four children and together we live very well without school. No it's not always perfect but even that concept requires some deconstruction (stay tuned for that episode!) but YES I definitely have some wisdom and plenty of comfort to offer and so I've decided I need to lead with that and not all the things that can floor me and stop me from moving forward. The school system, and all that follows it, says that learning happens in a linear and measurable way. That in itself can stop learning in it's tracks. Thus, a deschooling proposition might take us somewhere different. Moving forward, doing something new, night not (naturally) look like how we expect (especially if we ourselves were schooled) and further, there is not necessarily, anywhere definite to arrive to.
So now I'm getting to the real reason I've been dragging my feet on this - my very schooled mindset, perpetuated by comparison and the belief that there's no point in starting a YouTube channel unless I can definitely go viral and compete with Mr Beast. And if I can't be amazing at it and get 1000 subscribers in my first week, what's the point. This is often what we believe the world is telling us - there are certainly many opportunities to compare ourselves to others right?
But what I notice about my children, and others in the unschooling world, is that they are far less caught up in the comparison game than adults and there is a gift there for us. Do we need a pre-ordained outcome before we even give something a go? Do we need our success guaranteed before even trying?
So here is my first video, recorded with my dear friend and current housemate, Luna Maj Vestergaard - Unschooling Mentor and Coach. You can follow her here: https://www.facebook.com/lunamajvestergaard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUzI-ju8s54