Brilliant Ways to Keep Your Freedom and Still Be a Good Mom ...

Being a mother is the most important job in the world, but continuing to do something you love should not take a back seat. Do you enjoy playing tennis? Then there’s no reason to stop going out once a week for tennis practice as you find a trusted babysitter, such as your parents or a much older sibling of the little one. Remember, fathers do not babysit, they help to raise their children. Mothers, if you are single please be very wary of who you choose as a boyfriend. Many cases of child abuse are sadly at the hands of a mother’s boyfriend. If you don’t have family or a lifelong best friend, find a licensed daycare center.

There’s a big difference between Americans, Canadians, Brits and southern Europeans. If you talk to an American or British mother she says, “I have to get home. The baby needs to go to bed.” In countries such as France, Italy, and Greece mothers know babies and toddlers will fall asleep anywhere. They just recline the seat in the stroller and it’s goodnight junior and baby sleeps as mom, dad, and their friends enjoy a late night 9 pm dinner. Please be a good parent. Do not drink. You and your baby must get home safely. Also, be sure to continually check on your baby and keep them right next to you.

This might sound crazy, but it works. Not only does it work but it’s how American children have learned before the institutionalism of school in the mid-1800s. Geniuses such as Isaac Newton and Leonardo DaVinci, along with many other geniuses of long ago, were unschooled as children. More modern successful people such as Leo Tolstoy, Milton Hershey (for most of his education), Isadora Duncan, Mark Twain (for most of his childhood), Andrew Carnegie, George Washington Carver, Charles Dickens and Thomas Edison were too.

Unschooling is completely legal in all fifty states but you must check with your state laws about what exactly you need to submit to the state. With unschooling, you and your children learn at times that are best for your family. How does unschooling work? Well, remember when your child was little and he or she was interested in animals and colors? You tried to get them interested in numbers, but they weren’t interested. They learned and asked all sorts of questions about animals and colors, and took a deep interest. Six months later they were into learning about numbers. That thirst for knowledge never changes in humans.

Unschooling allows a child to learn what he or she wants and how much they want. Children learn things that they aren’t very interested in, but are still important so there’s no need to be hesitant about unschooling. With unschooling, you have the freedom to go on trips whenever you want. Your world is your learning experience. You can get in the RV and bring along educational DVDs, books, easy science projects, art supplies, math puzzles, and anything else your child or children are interested in. While other mothers are stuck having to reteach homework their child doesn’t understand over a battle of tears, you now can jump in the RV and take them to a national park (full of hands-on learning) while on the way teaching them things they are interested in.

Having kids is stressful. Having a child with special needs is very stressful. Having more than one child with special needs practically makes you a saint. Keep your sanity and your marriage strong by making a commitment to go on a date night once a month.

Remember high school health class when they tried to scare us by saying a baby will take away all of our freedom and ability to finish school? I guarantee knowing a surgeon who had his first child as a junior in high school, this is by no means true. Sure, you won’t be running out of the door as quickly as before but every stage of your life, and theirs has its blessings and struggles.