EU153: Unschooling the Holidays with Pam and Anna

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Anna Brown joins Pam to talk about navigating the holiday season through the lens of unschooling.

As we move into the holiday season, things can get challenging. Maybe you’re deep into deschooling and questioning everything—including holiday traditions—to see how well they really fit your family. Maybe you’re the lone unschooling family and anticipating uncomfortable visits with extended family as the holidays gear up. And then there’s the general stress that seems to build, both in the people around us and sometimes in ourselves, as we feel the growing weight of the expectations of the season—no matter how you celebrate.

Let’s talk about ways to bring more JOY to the season!

Discussion Points

First, I want to dive into the idea of holiday traditions. I remember that a-ha moment when I realized that I didn’t have to try to twist my family into all the holiday traditions that I—and my husband—grew up with. That everything was a choice—even around holiday traditions. It was another layer of deschooling for me and it felt so freeing! How has that perspective unfolded for you, Anna?

So, maybe there’s a holiday tradition in our extended family that doesn’t mesh well with us, yet they are expecting us to participate. Let’s chat about ways to navigate those kinds of situations.

Now, let’s say we have plans to visit with extended family. How can we set things up so it’s a fun experience?

Now we’re there—at our parent’s home, or our in-laws, or even a cousin’s place. Let’s talk about how can we support our children and their relationships with their relatives.

And finally, let’s brainstorm things we might do if, in the midst of our visit, someone decides to challenge us about our unschooling lifestyle.

Links to things mentioned in the show

Anna’s other podcast episodes: Ten Questions, Ordinary Unschooling, Diving into Parenting, and the Q&A episodes

Episode Transcript

Read the episode transcript