a little bit about how we evolved into homeschooling

One of the reasons I got more and more "unschooly" as the years went by is because, as we were living life, the only conflicts we seemed to get into revolved around me pushing for academics when they weren't interested.  We would be having a thoroughly nice day, relaxing and enjoying each other's company and pursuing whatever activities we were pursuing, when I would start pushing "school."  We have to do math.  We have to do Chumash.  We have to learn this, do this, write this.  Or we'd be leaving for a trip and I wanted to make sure they got their daily assignments in.  And that would cause stress and strife.

Always, when looking back at the day and the conflict that we had, I would go to my still silent voice and ask myself what I want my children to get from their homeschool experience.  And always, always, it wasn't a specific skill or piece of information (beyond the basic reading, writing and arithmetic).  It was that I wanted my children to have emotional health and the ability to lead lives filled with wisdom, exploration, joy, and healthy relationships.  

I found that pushing my educational agenda was often counter-productive to that goal.

I found myself focusing on my relationship with my kids instead of on schoolwork.  I found myself choosing to spend pleasant time with them instead of having them do "work."