Where Do I Go From Here?

Well, it is officially over…#100DaysOfHomeEd. And while I have not finished all 100 days, I will be doing so in the days ahead. Sort of like that marathon runner who crosses the finish line long after the crowds have gone home. That is me!

Oh, but what a time the past 100 days…three months have been. Just as we were moving into #HomeCrazzyHome and right in the middle of noisy electricians and dust that rivalled a small volcanic eruption…along came this opportunity.

I was motivated to participate in it because of the ‘bad’ press that Katie Pybus endured following her revelation that a major portion of her home education curriculum was computer gaming including Minecraft. Politicians and other uninformed (i.e. ignorant) types got all up in arms and started talking about the need for tighter regulation of home education.

But I knew the truth…we lived it every single day. Minecraft, Roblox and other technology based games are excellent at teaching…

• Critical thinking…
• Organization…
• Mathematics…
• and even reading and social skills.

It was scare mongering for elections at its worst. And children like my PanKwake might pay the price. I had to do something.

Then along came #100DaysOfHomeEd. And I saw an opportunity to enlighten…those that would listen…about Radical Unschooling. I hope I have done that…just a bit anyway.

Then along came April…and two additional commitments…Autism Acceptance and Camp NaNoWriMo. That meant two and sometimes three blogs…per day. But somehow I managed to complete them both…even as #HomeCrazzyHome began to take form…way to slowly for me.

In that time, I learned and I grew. I attended #AutismFestival17 and heard from #autistic #neurodivergent adults. They challenged everything I thought I knew about autism. And they began to form the lump of clay that was my unique purpose at this stage in my life…

What is that purpose you ask?

To enable #autism parents to raise #happily autistic adults.

In a world,

• where #neurodivergence is not accepted…
• where support for individuals and carers is based upon politics and ignorance…
• where pretty much everything we know as ‘autism’ was formulated by neurotypicals from the outside looking in with very little if any input from #neurodivergent individuals…
• where many ‘therapies’/’cures’/management strategies are based upon outdated and inaccurate information…

I am especially saddened, frustrated and sometimes admittedly down-right angry at autism parents, who…

Talk about their children as difficult, challenging, a burden, etc….right in front of them. They ain’t deaf, people. What are you doing to your child’s self-esteem?

Believe it is acceptable, even good, to train and condition your child the way you do a dog…without the child’s consent or understanding.

Expect with hands held-out for someone…government, schools or charities…to save them and their child…even if the resources were out there, the strings attached and price are often too high.

Listen to ‘experts’ who have no first hand knowledge of neurodivergence…scientists who see our children as specimens to be studied…neurodivergence as a ‘disorder’ to be cured…and support to be on their terms not what is in the best interest of the individual and carers.

I want to change how parents see their neurodivergent children. I want to work within the Neurodivergent Movement/Revolution as a carer/parent so that the next generation has it better/easier. So they do not face the same mental health issues that many neurodivergent adults do.

And I believe that my decision to Radically Unschool PanKwake has been a huge part of her success…and made my life easier and happier. To me it is almost impossible to have one without the other.

Then of course, there is that other side me…the homemaker. #HomeCrazzyHome, Cookie Monster and PanKwake. My sanity…my center in the chaos of the world around us.

So where do I go from here? What does the future looks like for this blog?

First of all, it has a new look…I recognize that I am breaking loads of writing/blogging rules by including so many different subjects in ONE place. But I have never been able to segment my life so creating different blogs would be like cutting myself into pieces. I have tried it in the past…it just does not work for me.

In addition to the Home Page which features all the most recent posts, I now have sub-pages on those topics…Radical Unschooling, Neurdivergence, Homemaking and then just Random Thoughts. That way if you are only interested in one topic you don’t have to wade through the whole list to find what you are looking for.

My goal is to post something to each page at least once per week…but of course, there will be times/seasons when I have more to say on one subject rather than another. But I figure by doing a blog…five days per week (Monday to Friday) I should be able to cover them all.

I also invite you to connect with me on social media…my Facebook and Twitter accounts are in the sidebar. On those, not only will you hear what is happening with me personally but I also make an effort to share information from others that I believe have similar messages. Plus I try to use memes…of which I have collected thousands…to encourage, uplift and enlighten others.

There are still some unknowns that I am struggling with…how’s to get my message out there…books…support groups…one-on-one coaching. I am not sure which of those or all that the future will hold but those who follow me here or on social media will know first.

I am excited about this new time in my life.

• A time when I have a partner in Cookie Monster who truly supports, encourages and enables me to do and be my best.
• A time when PanKwake is growing, maturing and developing into a multi-talented, intelligent and increasingly self-reliant neurodivergent human being.
• A time when I have a wonderful and stable, if a bit needing in some work, environment in #HomeCrazzyHome…thank you, Cookie Monster for giving PanKwake and I that!
• A time when both PanKwake and I have a deep and rich social life with good friends who accept and enable us both.

As a result of all that I feel not only the capacity to make a positive contribution to the neurodivergent movement but an obligation to do my part…small though it may be. I welcome you all to this new and wonderful adventure for #HomeCrazzyHome. I may have only a general idea of my destination but I look forward to enjoying the journey. I hope you will join me for the roller coaster ride we call life….