Unschooling Mom2Mom

Why does unschooling leave you wondering, “Am I doing enough?” Let’s talk about the exhausting pressure to prove your kids are learning—and five ways to step off that treadmill. After thirty years of unschooling and helping families, I’ve seen how school expectations, relatives’ questions, and homeschool social media can keep parents second-guessing themselves. In this episode, we’ll look at who y...

Unschooling can leave you wondering, “Am I doing enough?” —even when you can see your child learning. Why do worksheets, schedules, and grade levels still feel like proof that you’re doing your job? That’s the "untethered" feeling. You’ve stepped away from school’s rules, but when you’re worried, the old ways of measuring a day can still feel reassuring. A hard week, a question about gra...

Everyone asks, “But what about socialization?” Usually, they mean: Will your child have friends? But sometimes they’re asking something much bigger: Without school, who will teach your child how to fit in? And that raises a question we rarely stop to ask: What kind of socialization are children actually getting at school—and is all of it something we want to recreate? Because spending every day wi...

Looking for fun homeschooling ideas that don’t require curriculum? Discover how unschooling and strewing help children learn naturally through everyday activities and interests. Your September Calendar is ready for you! In this episode, Sue explores how learning can weave through playful September possibilities—from making Rice Krispie treats to investigating rabbits or noticing the changing dayli...

Looking for unschooling support that will help you stay confident without adding another overwhelming plan or curriculum to your life? In this episode, Sue Patterson explains how a simple daily “unschooling workout” can protect your confidence from the school-centered messages surrounding you. You’ll hear: Why unschooling confidence can disappear even when everything is going well How school expec...

Daily unschooling support can help homeschooling parents build confidence before doubts, comparisons, and outside pressure take over. Six months ago, I created a small Daily Support app as an experiment. Those one- or two-minute morning voice notes became something much more useful than I expected. In this episode, I’m sharing: Why brief, daily support can have such a powerful impact How unschooli...

My Kid Won't Go Back to School — What If We Didn't Make Them? Every school-refusal article this week says the same thing: watch for the warning signs, then find gentler ways to get your kid back in the building.  But what if that's not the only option? In this episode, Sue talks — mom to mom — about the real question underneath the panic of school refusal: not "how do I get com...

The school year is starting, but your child isn’t going back. Even when homeschooling is the right decision, back-to-school season can stir up doubt, mixed feelings, and the urge to suddenly make a bigger plan. In this episode, we talk about why August can feel so strange when your family steps outside the school calendar, why your child may miss parts of school without wanting to return, and how...

Is your child not going back to school? Here’s how to start homeschooling—or explore unschooling—without rushing into curriculum or recreating school at home. Once you’ve made the decision to leave school, a new worry often moves in: What are we supposed to do now? In this episode, Sue Patterson shares five practical ways to begin: Handle your state’s legal requirements without mistaking them for...

A recent Parents.com article explaining the pros and cons of unschooling raises an important question: Are these really problems with unschooling—or signs that we’re still defining learning through a school lens? In this episode, Sue Patterson looks at the concerns raised about basic skills, parental involvement, free time, and schedules—and explores where homeschooling parents may need to pivot....

Would an unschooling course you can work through step by step—or a library of resources you can pull from when you need them—fit you better? Some unschooling parents want a clear path they can follow from beginning to end. Others want trusted help waiting for them when questions about deschooling, technology, math, or doing enough appear. In this short episode, Sue explains the difference between...

Why does it feel like unschooling isn’t working—even when you can see learning happening? The problem may be the school timelines you’re still using to measure your child. Many homeschooling and unschooling parents worry that their children aren’t reading, doing math, becoming independent, or preparing for the future soon enough. We may have left school behind, but its milestones can still shape h...

Is your child really behind... or are you comparing them to the wrong timeline? When we leave school, do we have to carry the school's timeline with us? Doesn't the freedom to learn outside a classroom give us a different way to measure growth? In this episode, we're exploring one of the most common fears homeschooling and unschooling parents face: the worry that their child is fall...

Text Sue what you think! Summer has a funny way of making homeschooling parents feel like they should have a plan. Even unschooling parents can start worrying about filling the time, finding a routine, or doing... more. Being between one school year and the next can feel surprisingly uncomfortable. Maybe it's the extra space. In this episode, we're exploring why those in-between seasons...

Text Sue what you think! When your kid won't get off screens, even a simple request can quickly turn into a battle.  Many homeschooling and unschooling parents find themselves caught in this frustrating pattern. What starts as "time for dinner" or "we need to leave" suddenly becomes an argument, leaving everyone wondering why it escalated so quickly. In this episode, Sue P...

Text Sue what you think! What if fear is influencing more of your homeschooling decisions than you realize? When we're anxious about our children's future, it's easy to mistake fear for wisdom and urgency for insight. In this episode, Sue Patterson explores how fear can cloud our judgment, shape our homeschooling decisions, and make it difficult to separate what we're actually...

Text Sue what you think! They're playing all the time - is there anything worthwhile that we can count for homeschooling transcript?  The answer may surprise you.  In this episode, Sue Patterson explores how gaming can support learning in subjects like history, science, math, philosophy, leadership, and communication—and shares real examples of how those experiences can be documented on a tra...

Text Sue what you think! Are you wondering whether it's time to make a change in your child's education? Many parents spend the whole summer questioning what's working, what's not, and whether a different approach to learning might be a better fit for their family. Some are considering leaving the school system. Others are rethinking traditional homeschooling. Still others are...

Text Sue what you think! Are we preparing kids for adulthood… or preparing them for school expectations? Parents worry about grades, gaps, transcripts, screen time, and whether their kids will be successful adults. But real adult life often depends on something else entirely: adaptability, communication, confidence, initiative, emotional regulation, and problem solving. In this episode, Sue Patter...

Text Sue what you think! Mother's Day can be a lot of things — wonderful, disappointing, emotional, or somewhere in between. For unschooling and homeschooling moms, there's an added twist: your kids aren't sitting in a classroom getting reminded to make something for you. No teacher. No craft. No school newsletter nudging dad to pick up flowers. So this year? You become the Mother&a...

Text Sue what you think! What does an unschooling day actually look like? If you’ve been searching for a routine, a schedule, or some kind of structure you can follow… and keep coming up empty, this episode will give you something more useful. Instead of a rigid plan, we’re walking through real-life examples of unschooling days—what it looks like for younger kids, older kids, and teens—and why it...

Text Sue what you think! What does unschooling look like day to day—and how do you know it’s enough? This is where most parents start to second-guess everything. If you’ve ever lwondered, “Is this enough?” —you’re not alone. We’re unpacking one of the most common fears in unschooling: What learning actually looks like when it doesn’t look like school. With no worksheets, no visible lessons, and no...

Text Sue what you think! How do unschoolers learn math without a curriculum? Can kids really learn math without school—and how do you know it’s enough? Here's a real “day in the life” of an unschooling teen. See exactly where math shows up—hour by hour—without worksheets, textbooks, or formal lessons. If you’ve been wondering:  how do kids learn math without curriculum   is real life math eno...

Text Sue what you think! “If we don’t use a curriculum... how do we plan anything?” It’s the number one question new unschoolers ask. If stepping away from traditional lesson plans makes you feel like you’ve lost your roadmap, this episode is for you!  Welcome to Season 6 of the Unschooling Mom2Mom podcast! This week, host Sue Patterson explains why planning as an unschooling parent isn’t about de...

Text Sue what you think! Pi Day is one of those holidays parents often try to make “fun.”  But sometimes the issue isn’t the activity — it’s the hype. Here's a quick unschooling perspective on Pi Day and why kids often respond better to curiosity than to pressure. Instead of trying to convince kids something is fun, unschooling families often offer ideas lightly — letting interest show up nat...