worry

worry.  man, even the sound of that word gives me nervous stomach.  before kids, i rarely worried.  if i did, it was usually something along the lines of money-making or a payment of some sort.  but then kids happened, and suddenly, all of these life altering decisions have to be made.  i remember agonizing for days over which crib to buy, it had to be all organic down to the sheets, no off-gassing, brand new, must convert first into a toddler bed and then into a full-size for them to live on well into adult life...

and then the biggies.  circumcision.  vaccines.  education.  

breathing happened.  and then we simply said "no."  even to the crib.

so, here we are, nearly 4 years later, with a 3 year old and an almost 2 year old, with no crib, no vaccines, plenty of foreskin, and no education.  so, now, i worry.

i worry when we go to those germ factories that are playgrounds and softplay and even to the grocery store if my kids are going to come home with pertussis.  i worry if they should be in school.  i worry if i am not giving them what they need.

and then, my best friend, my self, has some sound advice.  or, rather, some questions to consider.  what are other kids getting out of school (rather, daycare, at this age) that my children aren't?  and more importantly, what ARE they getting out of freeschool that children in school aren't getting?  

things they aren't getting:

sick

ignored

bullied

bad habits

vaccinated

indoctrinated

abandonment feelings

socialization
questionable food
questionable influences

things they are getting:

love (and lots of it)

sunshine (and lots of it)

freedom (and lots of it)

closeness (physical and emotional, to themselves and to us all)

patience (i do my best)

individualized attention (they couldn't be more opposite!)

real time conflict resolution (constantly)

compassion (i am always amazed at how they learn to give to and help each other)

nurturing (we do a lot of snuggling)

unlimited story time (have i mentioned we LOOOOOOVE to read?)

space to just be (ahhh....)

security (i'm okay being taken for granted a little)

bonding (we go through our best and worst times together)

naked time (vitamin D!)

control over their own schedules and interests (see 'freedom')

gentleness (hitting has given way to hugging)

field trips (the beach sure is a lot of fun on the weekdays)

good food (the kind only a mama can make)

real friends (the kind we seek out and naturally gravitate towards)

exposure to people of all ages, races and walks of life (how's that for socialization?)

a real life experience of a loving family, with parents who are in love with each other and our children!

and did i mention the money and time we save that can be used to benefit our children's individual interests?  

wait.  what was i worried about again?