A friend asked: “Have your kids ever been between interests?”
The short answer to that question is yes. There have indeed been times when my kids have lost their enthusiasm for their interests. Their excitement for learning, in general, disappeared. Nothing seemed to grab their attention. They were no longer gripped by a passion. At first, this worried me. But now, having experienced this situation a number of times, I think quiet seasons are a normal part of our learning lives.
It seems to me that visible learning doesn’t happen at the same pace every single day of the year. A child (or a parent) might be immersed in an interest for a while and then, all of a sudden, her enthusiasm wanes. Perhaps she is ready to move on to something else, but she doesn’t know what her next big thing will be. Maybe she is satisfied with her knowledge of a particular subject for the moment but will return to her interest at a later date. She could just be tired and need some rest and time to process what she’s already learnt. Whatever the reason, it can be hard for parents because, of course, we love to see our kids engrossed with their passions. That’s very exciting to watch, isn’t it? It also reassures us that our children are indeed learning.
My kids have always emerged from their quiet times with a new enthusiasm for learning. One day, they wake up and they’re off again, chasing new unschooling adventures. This happens to me too. Maybe a new idea occurs to us. Or we hear about something that sounds exciting. Perhaps we just feel rested and ready to go again.
In this week’s podcast, episode 141: When a Child is No Longer Gripped by a Passion, I’m discussing the question: “Have your kids ever been between interests?”
Along the way, I talk about:
- Exciting times when kids are gripped by a passion
- Quiet times when they appear to be drifting along
- How we can help our kids during quiet times by trusting and strewing
- Some strewing ideas
And I share some stories of my own children’s fluctuating enthusiasm for learning.
Show Notes
Blog Posts
When Excitement for Learning Appears to Disappear
Regaining Her Enthusiasm for Learning
Preparing our Kids for an Unknown Future: Can We Do It?
What Happened When I Strewed a Painting on the Wall
Unschooling, Strewing, and Unplanning
My Unschool Unplanning Strewing Notebook
Podcasts
Episode 4: Exciting Times, Slow Times, and Unschool Holidays
Episode 83: How to Start a Great Art Conversation
Novel Writing
Coding Lessons
Youtube Exercise Channel
Photo: You might know that my daughter Sophie loves photography. But there are still times when she puts down her camera and wants to do something else.
Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoy my podcast, please consider sharing the link so we can spread the word about unschooling. A quick review or rating would help too!
Please feel welcome to leave a comment about anything I talked about in this episode. I’d love to hear about your experiences of interests and quiet times. Otherwise, just stop by and say hello!
I wish I had understood this earlier in life about myself. I’ve learned it from observing my daughter. I always attributed my waxing and waning interests to laziness or an inability to stick with something. In reality, I’ve learned that creative endeavors in particular take a lot out of us and we need time to “recover” so to speak. The person who is constantly and unwaveringly focused is the exception, not the rule.
Sallie,
You understand what I was saying! An inability to stick with something… that thought can be worrying, can’t it? But it’s not that way at all. Thank you for stopping by. It’s always good to connect with you!