let them play

Sometimes I feel so guilty when I don’t “do” school.

When hours creep by and we haven’t read a book, drawn imitation Picassos, blown up a volcano, mapped out the radius of the Mayflower in our front yard, explored geography, performed interpretive dance movements to Mozart’s compositions, crafted an afghan from the hair of goats .. .

Ha – like we’re doing any of those things!

But still, I feel guilty for all that I should be doing.

(And sometimes it’s the exact right kind of guilt that I should feel.  I know that.)

But sometimes, sometimes, it’s not.

And a friend reminded me, a friend who has seven lovely children and homeschooled the first one successfully right into college, said to me what another friend frequently has reminded her. (How I love the community of women.)

“Let them play.  They won’t always want to play together.  They will not always desire that.

Sometimes.

Let them play.”