APing & Unschooling an Older Child

[ErikaDP]

Hi Everyone,

I am a sahm to my 11yr old youngest son(he is the youngest by 8yrs, so he's like an only child). I enjoy being with him and I am very happy that we are unschoolers. My problem is finding kids and adults that we can share activities with. He still enjoys playing with toys and is happy to play with girls and boys of all ages. But most kids we meet that are his age do not play with all kids(most of the boys won't play with girls or younger kids for example). Also because he is older, many of the activities we use to enjoy doing together with friends(playgroups for example) are not available for us anymore. And to top it off, we live in a new area separate from where he grew up(by about 3000 miles). Are there any mothering moms and dads out there who are still enjoying their older AP kids? And how did you find other AP parents and kids to hang out with? Thanks in advance for your replies. I really enjoy these boards

Take Care,
Erika

[village idiot]

I'm still enjoying my 13yo dd and she has been ap since birth. I'm home schooling her for the first time this year and so far we are unschooling. I find it hard to meet ap parents at all, much less ap parents of older children. We do belong to a homeschooling group but it is pretty religious (we aren't hsing for religious reasons)and very few of the parents seem to be ap. I did meet one mom who is still breast feeding her 2yo dd. (I also have a 1yo dd that is still breast fed)

Sorry I'm not more encouraging about meeting/finding more ap parents of older kids. I don't live in a very alternative place either so that might make a difference. Hope you have more luck!

[ErikaDP]

Hi Katelyan,

Thanks for your reply. I think it is great that you are homeschooling your dd. I hope you have a great experience with unschooling. Check out the Learning at Home and Beyond thread here at MDC. There are some great mommas posting there. Enjoy your time with your dd, they grow up so fast!

Take Care,
Erika

[ErikaDP]

Hi,

Can anyone suggest a better place to post this thread? I really would like to get some more responses from some of the mommas that post here.

Take Care,
Erika

[ErikaDP]

bump

[village idiot]

Have you tried the homeschooling forum here at MDC?

[Dar]

If he's happy playing with kids of all ages, why are you specifically looking for kids his age?

Rain has a fifteen year old friend who she plays dollhouse and dressup with... although the 15 yr old is a full-time college student now, so she's pretty busy.

Every Monday, she gets together with two siblings, a boy a year younger than she is (she'll be 11 in January) and his 7 yr old sister, and they play pretend games for hours, or draw, or reenact Peter Pan.

We met the older girl through a play Rain did, and the sublings through our homeschool group. It took some time - we've lived here a year and a half - but people are there. Have you tried the unschooling.com boards for local folks, or the page for your state on Jon's Homeschool Site

Dar

[ErikaDP]

Hi Dar,

The reason why I am looking for older AP parents and kids is for support, to be able to talk to others who are going through some of the same developmental stages as we are.
For playing and classes, there are not a lot of differences between a 7yr old and a 11yr old(especially if they share the same interests). But when it comes to biological and emotional stages, there can be some great differences between those age groups.
I would like to be able to get that nod of reconition that comes from direct experience when talking to other parents about our kids. And it would be great if those parents were also APer's.
I just wanted to see if their were others like me on these boards. I live in a very AP friendly community if you have young children, but it is hard to find that kind of support (and those kind of parents) if your child is over 6 or 7.

Thank you Katelyan, for the homeschooling board suggestion, I think I will try posting there as well.

Take Care,
Erika

[tnrsmom]

Moving this to the Learning at Home board.

[mom2kbeth]

Hi Erika,

We are in CT, too, and belong to an AP Homeschoolers group. If you would like some info, feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Bonnie

[ErikaDP]

Hello All,

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Bonnie for recommending the APhomeschooling group here in CT. I have been to one meeting and it looks like we have found a new group of friends.
OT-When I read a post here, I always wonder if the person was helped or was able to find the resources that they were looking for here. So this is just a post to say thanks for the replies and the contacts, it helped a great deal.

Take Care,
Erika

"I am learning all the time, the tombstone will be my diploma"- Eartha Kitt

[mom2kbeth]

You're welcome Erika!! Glad I could help. It was great meeting you on Friday.

Bonnie