**WARNING -- strong personal opinions below. Please don't take any statements personally. I promise you this isn't a judgement of opinions different to my own...but hey, this is my blog and an outlet for me to write what's on my mind. Peace, love, and happiness :-)**

When did it become such a bad thing to just be a kid? This is a question I had -- often -- as a preschool teacher, and an issue that has become increasingly important now that we have a child. It seems that in an effort to ensure our children have every advantage to succeed in today's society, we are eliminating the things children need most -- time to play, explore, be free, and just be kids!

Given my background in education, many friends and clients are often curious where we will be sending Kaiya to preschool. I'm never quite sure how to respond. To put it plainly, our family is in a fortunate position that allows me to stay home with Kaiya and I can't imagine giving up any of those precious moments. I have a hard enough time leaving her for a few hours two days a week so I can teach classes. I'm simply not willing to give up more time than that.

On a deeper level, I just don't agree with the model of 99% of preschools out there (hence the reason I moved around so much my first few years of teaching and, ultimately, gave up on existing schools and started my own company). Let me quickly say that I find nothing wrong with sending your child to preschool. In fact, most of my friends do. Many of my friends are preschool teachers, and the preschool concept works well for most families.

That said, it's not right for ours. I don't want Kaiya to be focused on learning her colors, letters, numbers, days of the week, months of the year, etc etc etc. She will learn those things in good time, through her daily interactions, and it will be a natural and meaningful process. I don't want someone to tell her what project to create, then 'help' her make it because it doesn't look just so. I don't want her forced in to social interactions that are not appropriate for her age, and I truly do not want her to be in an environment where she is told what to do for a vast majority of the day.

Instead, we choose to make sure she has plenty of time for unstructured free play. Children thrive on this concept! They don't need a ton of activity specific toys, and, barring activities that could hurt themselves or others, children should never be reprimanded for not using a toy/object the 'right' way. It is SO much fun to see the world through the eyes of our precious little ones, but they must be given the freedom to share that insight. Just today, the ear thermometer from Kaiya's doctor kit (thank you Uncle Dave and Aunty Whit) was an ear-checker, a hammer, a socket wrench (used appropriately, mind you, as she learned from watching Uncle Sean put her ATV together the other day), and a microphone. This girl can make a toy out of anything. And I do mean anything. BBs, found on the ground at the dropzone are the tiniest little balls she has ever seen. Who knew they could bounce so high...

Another thing missing from most schools today is outdoor playtime. I don't mean each classroom's allotted 45 minutes on the playground, I mean puddle stomping, worm digging, fort creating hours of outdoor freedom. My goal this summer with Kaiya? To explore a different state park each month. Hiking, picnicing, exploring, touching...experiencing nature in all it's wonder and beauty.

What was the point of this blog? Oh yes -- letting kids just be kids. Don't get me wrong. I understand why schools are the way they are. I get that this is the reason the academics must trickle down to preschools. I can appreciate the parental concern that their own child not be 'left behind' which drives the desire to enroll in the most prestigious preschool, and sign up for a wide range of extracurricular activities so their child will be well balanced. I understand it, I just don't agree with it. I also understand that changes need to be made on such a fundamental level, and in such a drastic way, that thinking about it is enough to cause a migrane.

Unfortunately, the very choices being made in the best interest of children are often the causes of unheard of issues like widespread childhood depression, lack of interest in activities due to forced participation, poor performance in school...the list goes on. Our children aren't allowed to be kids anymore. They have SO much responsibility! Preschoolers with homework? Elementary school children with so many weekly activities that coordinating a family schedule is a full-time job. And somewhere in all this mess you are supposed to share meaningful, memory making moments with your children? When, is my question.

Nooooo thank you. Instead, we've decided to homeschool Kaiya -- at least for a little while. We'll save that private school tuition and spend it on travel. She'll get to experience American history and world culture first hand. But even that is years away. For now, we'll enjoy these early years that are already passing too quickly. Kaiya seems to be doing juuuuust fine.