Unschooling Mom2Mom

Latest Episodes:

Feeling Untethered with Unschooling? | 230 Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Unschooling can leave you wondering, “Am I doing enough?”—even when you can see your child learning. Why do worksheets, schedules, and grade levels still feel like proof that you’re doing your job?

That’s the "untethered" feeling. You’ve stepped away from school’s rules, but when you’re worried, the old ways of measuring a day can still feel reassuring. A hard week, a question about grade levels, or a glimpse of another homeschooling family’s routine can bring them right back.

In this episode, I talk about how to tell the difference between a child who needs help and a parent caught in comparison. We’ll look at what you can notice about your child’s learning, and what your role can look like when there’s no checklist to mark off. Whether you’re new to unschooling or have been at it for a while, you may recognize that pull toward the familiar.

“Am I doing enough?” is our October theme inside Creating Confidence Daily. You’ll get a short voice note from me each day, and we’ll talk through your questions on an end-of-month group coaching call.

Join Creating Confidence Daily:
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/creating-confidence-membership#MembershipOptions

Not sure whether it’s right for you?
Book a free ten-minute clarity call with me
https://suepatterson.as.me

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

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You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

Choose the level of support that fits you best—from daily encouragement to live coaching and community.
Now 2 Tiers available for community support!
Tier 1: Monthly themes, Daily posts/audios from Sue, discussion threads @Circle, 1 monthly group call (month-by-month $39)
Tier 2: Full support, 8 group calls per month, extensive library (+Tier 1 benefits)
$99 month-by-month or $49 in 6 month pkgs.

What the Homeschool Socialization Question Misses | 229 Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Everyone asks, “But what about socialization?”

Usually, they mean: Will your child have friends?

But sometimes they’re asking something much bigger:
Without school, who will teach your child how to fit in?

And that raises a question we rarely stop to ask:

What kind of socialization are children actually getting at school—and is all of it something we want to recreate?

Because spending every day with same-age peers doesn’t teach children only how to make friends. It also teaches them about popularity, conformity, peer pressure, and where they’re expected to fit in.

In this episode, Sue untangles socializing, social skills, and socialization—and explains why they’re not interchangeable.

You may never answer the socialization question the same way again.
Ready to dive deeper:
Sue's Creating Confidence Membership has DAILY voice messages from her this month all about socialization! You won't want to miss it. AND the new Tier 1 Membership offers the 1 live monthly group call on the theme of the month!
FREE PDF:
Social Stuff Nobody Explains

READ AT THE BLOG:
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/what-the-homeschool-socialization-question-misses
RELATED PODCASTS:
#26 What about Socialization? (How will they make friends?)

Let me know what you think of this!

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Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

You Don’t Need Curriculum to Make Learning Happen | 228 Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Looking for fun homeschooling ideas that don’t require curriculum? Discover how unschooling and strewing help children learn naturally through everyday activities and interests.

Your September Calendar is ready for you!

In this episode, Sue explores how learning can weave through playful September possibilities—from making Rice Krispie treats to investigating rabbits or noticing the changing daylight around the Autumn Equinox.

She explains how strewing introduces interesting ideas without assigning lessons, controlling the outcome, or requiring every activity to become a major project.

You’ll also hear how the Strewing Calendar makes this easier with a printable monthly calendar, daily links and ideas, and learning objectives that help parents recognize—or document—the academics already woven through real life.

Your children don’t need days packed with educational activities. They need an interesting life with plenty of possibilities.

Learn more about the Strewing Calendar:
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/strewing-calendars

Explore Creating Confidence Community Support:
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/creating-confidence-sign-up

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

How to Stay Confident About Unschooling—Before a Crisis Hits | 227 Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Looking for unschooling support that will help you stay confident without adding another overwhelming plan or curriculum to your life? In this episode, Sue Patterson explains how a simple daily “unschooling workout” can protect your confidence from the school-centered messages surrounding you.

You’ll hear:

Why unschooling confidence can disappear even when everything is going well
How school expectations gradually creep back into our thinking
Why you shouldn’t wait for a crisis to reconnect with unschooling
How two or three minutes a day can strengthen your perspective
Why connecting with other unschooling parents matters—even if you’re an introvert
How to decide between Creating Confidence Daily and Full Community Support

Now 2 Tiers available for community support!
Tier 1: Monthly themes, Daily posts/audios from Sue, discussion threads @Circle, 1 monthly group call (month-by-month $39)
Tier 2: Full support, 8 group calls per month, extensive library (+Tier 1 benefits)
$99 month-by-month or $49 in 6 month pkgs.

Related Podcast:
Episode #226 for the story behind Sue’s “little unschooling experiment”—and why new members can benefit from it now.

Find both membership options in the link below.
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/creating-confidence-sign-up

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

Six Months Ago, I Tried An Unschooling Experiment | 226 Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Daily unschooling support can help homeschooling parents build confidence before doubts, comparisons, and outside pressure take over.

Six months ago, I created a small Daily Support app as an experiment. Those one- or two-minute morning voice notes became something much more useful than I expected.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

Why brief, daily support can have such a powerful impact
How unschooling confidence can quietly erode when life gets busy
Why we shouldn’t wait for a crisis to reconnect with what we believe
What Daily Support has grown to include
The new Creating Confidence — Daily and Full Support options

Creating Confidence pricing changes on Labor Day.
Join before then to keep the current monthly rate:

Daily Support: $8.99/month
Full Community Support: $49/month

Choose your support: Here
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/creating-confidence-sign-up

Maybe tomorrow morning, we’ll have our coffee together. ☕️
Read the transcript here
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/daily-unschooling-support

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

School Refusal: A Mom-to-Mom Reframe When Your Kid Is Miserable | 225 Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

My Kid Won't Go Back to School — What If We Didn't Make Them?

Every school-refusal article this week says the same thing: watch for the warning signs, then find gentler ways to get your kid back in the building.
But what if that's not the only option?

In this episode, Sue talks — mom to mom — about the real question underneath the panic of school refusal: not "how do I get compliance," but "what if my kid's distress is actually information worth listening to?" Sue shares her own story of never planning to homeschool, why "unschooling" doesn't have to be a scary word or an identity you adopt, and why a plan that wasn't working at school probably won't magically work at your kitchen table either.

If you're standing at the edge of a decision you never expected to be making, this episode is for you.

Want to talk it through?
Book a free call with Sue — no program, no pitch, just mom to mom:
Use this link for a 30-minute Quick Call:
https://suepatterson.as.me/Quick-30

New episodes exploring what comes after this decision — coming soon.
Follow the show so you don't miss them.

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

The School Year Is Starting Without Us—Why Does It Feel So Weird? | 224 Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

The school year is starting, but your child isn’t going back. Even when homeschooling is the right decision, back-to-school season can stir up doubt, mixed feelings, and the urge to suddenly make a bigger plan.

In this episode, we talk about why August can feel so strange when your family steps outside the school calendar, why your child may miss parts of school without wanting to return, and how old school expectations can creep into your thinking before you realize it.

If you’re new to homeschooling or unschooling and wondering why this transition feels harder than expected, this episode will help you recognize what’s really happening—and why you don’t need to rush to recreate school at home.
Not Back to School 7-Day Challenge

If you’re ready for some help figuring out what comes next, join me for the Not Back to School 7-Day Challenge.
We’ll spend a week looking at:

how your home and your days can support this new way of living
how to recognize the learning already happening
which school expectations you may still be carrying with you
how to handle outside questions and opinions
how to create a beginning that actually fits your family

Join the challenge: https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/nbts-challenge

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

My Child Isn’t Going Back to School—Now What? | 223 Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Is your child not going back to school? Here’s how to start homeschooling—or explore unschooling—without rushing into curriculum or recreating school at home.

Once you’ve made the decision to leave school, a new worry often moves in: What are we supposed to do now?

In this episode, Sue Patterson shares five practical ways to begin:

Handle your state’s legal requirements without mistaking them for an educational plan
Consider what your child may need to recover from after leaving school
Avoid letting fear rush you into curriculum, rigid schedules, and too many commitments
Collaborate with your child as you figure out what comes next
Expect the doubts that can surface when everyone else goes back to school

You don’t need to become a homeschooling expert or understand unschooling perfectly before you begin. You need time to reconnect, observe your child, and create an approach that fits your actual family.

Help for Parents

If your child isn’t going back to school and you’re wondering what happens next, the Not Back to School 7-Day Challenge will help you take those first steps with more clarity and confidence.
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/nbts-challenge
Go straight to sign up: https://cc.unschoolingmom2mom.com/checkout/not-back-to-school-challenge

For ongoing coaching, resources, and support from other unschooling parents, explore the Creating Confidence Membership.
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/creating-confidence-sign-up

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

The Cons of Unschooling: Where Homeschooling Parents Need to Pivot | 222 Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

A recent Parents.com article explaining the pros and cons of unschooling raises an important question: Are these really problems with unschooling—or signs that we’re still defining learning through a school lens?

In this episode, Sue Patterson looks at the concerns raised about basic skills, parental involvement, free time, and schedules—and explores where homeschooling parents may need to pivot.

Are children really learning only when they’re completing lessons? Does making them study subjects they dislike prepare them for the future? And what might they lose when their curiosity is repeatedly interrupted by an adult’s curriculum checklist?

We’ll also explore what involved unschooling parenting actually looks like—and why starting with the learner may make more sense in today’s world than starting with a predetermined body of knowledge.

If you’re ready to move away from the school version of learning but aren’t sure what to do next, Unschooling 101 and Learning Math Without Curriculum can help. Both courses are included in the Unschooling Starter Bundle for $99 through July.

Find the Unschooling Starter Bundle:
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/product/Unschooling-Starter-Bundle

More about the July Special:
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/build-your-unschooling-confidence

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

Unschooling Course or Resource Library: Which One Fits You? #221 Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Would an unschooling course you can work through step by step—or a library of resources you can pull from when you need them—fit you better?
Some unschooling parents want a clear path they can follow from beginning to end. Others want trusted help waiting for them when questions about deschooling, technology, math, or doing enough appear.
In this short episode, Sue explains the difference between two kinds of self-paced unschooling support:
• The Unschooling Starter Bundle—with Unschooling 101 and Learning Math Without Curriculum
• The Unschooling Parent Toolkit—with all 25 unschooling guides
Both options are $99 through July 31.
See both options and choose the one that fits you:
https://www.unschoolingmom2mom.com/build-your-unschooling-confidence

Let me know what you think of this!

Support the show

_____________________________________________________
You don't have to do this alone.

Creating Confidence Community Support!

Whether you prefer daily encouragement or a supportive community with live coaching, you can explore it all and see what fits your family best.

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