Unschooling My Filmmaker Son

The cute check out girl saw him with his camera. He told her he was a filmmaker. She mentioned how when she was in high school she directed plays and loved building sets. (How can she be old enough to be out of high school?)

After we left with our groceries, I said to him, "Too bad you didn't have a business card to give her." I offered to later help him print out his own.

I came home from work and he showed me his first official business card. Apparently he didn't need my help.

I'm actually so very impressed he has taken so many steps on his own when it comes to his interest in film making. I've been here to offer suggestions, but he's gone further focusing on details I would have over looked. From designing marketing, to learning software, much of everything he's learned so far has come from his own determination and will.

Whether or not this is how he'll one day make his living doesn't matter. What is so awesome is that he's a full blown autodidact! All I did as his unschooling mother was give him the freedom to follow his own passions and provide a few resources. What I couldn't give him, he found himself. His creativity and resourcefulness has me amazed. Where did this come from?

I had to let go of fears of failure living this lifestyle. I came to realize failure was something that hopefully he would indeed experience! Failure is a necessity when it comes to finding success. Without failure, how can we learn and improve?

Approaching something new without fear holding you back, brings greater results. When you no longer fear failure, but instead use it to your advantage, it removes the risk factor. If this doesn't work out, we'll try something else. We'll keep trying until we get the results we want. We never give up because we're having fun just being engaged in the process.

Giving my children a safe place to fail opens up pathways to their success. How crazy is that?!