Homelearner Neurosis....

My friend wrote in her blog about her crappy week and her doubts about their path, ironic when my blog delved into that last week. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read here. My kids play all day, hot wheels, trains, forts, sliding on mattress, worms in manure pile, bug/slug eggs from garden. tv-magic school bus and etc, -so today, feeling guilty that I don't "school" them I had them sit down and do a little workbook stuff....no major arm twisting, they could choose letters or numbers.....hmmmm I wonder when they learned more....Reading Advent calender scavenger hunt clues (4 or 5 to figure out every morning to find their chocolate kiss) Overheard "think August think.....where do we keep our favourite toys???"......the reading we do, library visits, imprompto google searches or the listening to books on tape.....or doing some workbook pages. LEARNING BY DOING right? My dad asked me "how long are you going to do this schooling at home thing?" I think he means "Man you never do anything resembling school when I'm here" (He's here 1-3 nights/week) I still wonder how any mom can find the time, I never get anything done....My house slowly morphs into a pit my laundry stacks up, my kitchen floor looks like the driveway and my bedsheets....well I won't go there.....Maybe this is the secret reason why most curriculums fail????? TIME. I often think how much more organized my house would be, how much more time I would have to cook/clean etc if my kids went to school.....
An 18 year old killed himself this week in a car accident here.....5 kids in the car, no seatbelts, N or L licence ....perhaps alcohol involved with running the red light. This scares the crap out of me. Watching my friends/family/acquaintances with older kids I see my future and hope to hell my kids stay close.....I'll have to video Holdy bawling "I don't want to leave you mummy, I want to stay with you forever!!!!" when I explain that one day he may move into his own home...What exactly is my SIL going to do when her now 10 year old daughter wants to stay out with no curfew, I mean her son, 16, has no curfew......stays out all night and and and....and who am I to judge my boys haven't got there yet.....She asked me what I thought and I said just that "How can I say what I think you should do when I'm not you and my kids are only 3,5 and 7" Hold on to my kids, hard, hope, pray (to whom I dunno) that they choose the right path, knowing that they will do stupid things, just like I did, and hopefully get lucky, just like I did....and hope that they make WAY better choices than their friends......