Changes in the wind

Well, I know it's been quite some time since I last posted anything... but then, quite frankly, our homeschooling has been rather a shambles these last few months! :/
There's been learning here and there.. but it has been a complete uphill battle. Left to his own devices, Gordy would much rather read, ride his bike, wander round outside telling himself stories (the boy has a FANTASTIC imagination... but do you think he's willing to write any of these wonderful stories down? Yeah right!), drawing, and playing with Lego. Try and push the book/school work and we end up with drama, tears, and everyone's angry and frustrated. NOT my idea of fun! There have been so many days lately where I've ended in tears, left wondering if we made a mistake in pulling him out of school and trying homeschooling... and feeling like a complete failure as a teacher and as though I'm letting him down as a mother. *sighs* Why is it that other homeschooling Parents make it look like such an easy and enjoyable lifestyle?
So.. I turned to the internet and went back to researching, reading homeschool forums and blogs... TRYING desperately to get my head around this and get MY enthusiasm back for the homeschooling way of things so I could TRY and get things going again... because otherwise, I was on the verge of just giving up and sending him back to public school.. which would also mean back to bullies and teachers that really didn't seem to care.
What I found was the reminder of "unschooling" and how, when I'd first learned about this way of doing things, I had thought it would suit Gordy perfectly. Letting him drive his own learning based on his interests. When we'd tried before, I'd let him down.. slacked off. I hit a few bumps in the road and ended up falling into a rut and couldn't seem to get myself out. I was always drained, lacking in interest for anything.. which meant Gordy was left to "push" himself... and I have now learned (the hard way unfortunately, but then I seem to be a person who learns best that way.. UGH!) that he does not yet have the drive to push himself. He needs to be taught that. Which got me thinking... what was really important here? WHAT he was learning? Or the actual LEARNING itself? When it comes down to it, the important thing is that he learns HOW to learn, how to make it fun for himself.. to find his own passion and drive to get out there and learn about the world.
Gordy actually has quite a few interests... rocks/fossils, Outer Space, anything and everything Egyptian, reading, drawing, science, History, crafts... all things I can use to guide his learning and teach him to drive himself. So, we're doing things a little differently now. At the beginning of each day, we talk about what he wants to learn for that day, what kind of activities he wants to do. I've told him that I will let HIM control his day, what he learns, as long as he doesn't waste his day playing all day, and actually tries to learn things too. This is something I remind him of occasionally so he stays focused. Ok, we only started this yesterday, so it is WAY too early to know if this is going to work... but once more, I have high hopes. This just feels RIGHT for Gordy.. but this time I WON'T slack off, I'll stay there to guide him, give him a nudge occasionally if he starts to slack off and spend too much time playing.
This homeschooling business is sure a bumpy road, and I fell off the track for a while, and dragged him with me.. but I think we're back on the right road again, and this time.. I'm hanging on tighter! :P
I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time doing crafty things, as he's a very "hands-on" kinda kid.. but then that suits me.. it's a fun way to learn, and it means we'll have a lot of cool looking projects to show what we've been learning at the end of it. What better way to spend our days??!!