The Unschooling Mom2Mom Parent Toolkit

When families pivot to unschooling, questions pop up fast: 

• How do kids learn math? 
• What about record-keeping? 
• What do I say to critics?

That’s why I created the Unschooling Mom2Mom Parent Toolkit — a collection of 25 step-by-step Unschooling Guides that give you practical solutions to the obstacles every parent faces.

You can grab guides individually for $15-$20 each, or save by buying all 25 in the Parent Toolkit for $249 (instead of $395!)

Podcast Transcript:

Hey friends, it’s Sue Patterson here. I want to take some time with you today — not just a quick pep talk, but a real conversation — because I’ve been hearing from so many parents lately who are running into the same struggles.

Their plans are unraveling. The kids are resisting. And they’re wondering:
Am I really cut out for this unschooling path?

If you’ve had that thought, let me just say...you’re not alone.

Doubts creep in for all of us. They did for me too, even after years of unschooling. And it’s not because you’re failing, or because your kids aren’t capable. It’s because this is such a different road than the one you were raised to expect.

That’s actually why, over the years, I’ve created so many Unschooling Guides — because the same worries keep coming up: reading, math, technology, socialization, handling critics. Each guide helps you tackle those fears with clarity, mindset work, and practical steps.

And today, I want to talk about some of those really common doubts — and how you can start to reframe them.

Part 1 – The “Basics” Worry

Let’s talk about the concerns I hear the most:

• “My 7-year-old still isn’t reading.”
• “My 10-year-old isn’t doing any math.”
  
  

Our brains panic: What if they fall behind? What if I’ve messed this up?

But here’s the truth: learning doesn’t unfold on a school’s timetable. It unfolds on your child’s timetable.

Think about toddlers learning to walk. Some at 9 months, some at 15. We don’t panic that one is behind — we trust development. Reading and math are the same.

Your 7-year-old who isn’t “reading yet” may be memorizing logos, noticing patterns in Minecraft, or even using voice-to-text. Those are all pre-reading skills. Your 10-year-old might not be doing long division, but maybe they’re dividing up cookies, figuring out scores in a game, or organizing their Pokémon cards by number. That’s math.

Because school conditioned us to see only worksheets and test scores, we often miss the progress happening right in front of us.

That’s why I created the Academic Guides for Reading, Writing, and Math. They reframe what’s really going on and give you ideas to fuel early learning stages — while reminding you that yes, your child is learning. They’re not behind. You don’t need to rush anything.

Part 2 – When Things Feel Dull or Tech Takes Over

Another season parents hit is when things start to feel...dull. Maybe the kids are bored. Maybe they’re glued to screens and you’re not sure how to reconnect.

First — boredom isn’t the enemy.  It often pushes kids to stretch into something new. I’m not one to say, let kids sit with their boredom but they ARE red flags. They’re telling you and them that a shift is happening. What used to be interesting, may not be anymore. Maybe they’ve outgrown their old stuff but they don’t know what would fit them better now. 

I know this limbo land can feel  unnerving for you.  Lots of parents worry about the amount of time their kids want to be on their devices so there’s an entire Unschooling Guide about Technology to help.  It doesn’t just say “limit screens” or “let it all go.”

It helps you find the balance — to stay aligned with unschooling while still setting healthy boundaries in your home.
The TRICK is, to really assess what that means: healthy boundaries in your home. We get so many messages about this and they’re not all accurate.

Society historically resists progress - and kids are usually the first to embrace it. 
Remember all the time people used to say TV was going to rot our brains? But then we got the Discovery Channel and the History Channel, Food Network and really inspiring documentaries. That’s the opposite of “rotting!” The same thing happened with new inventions like the Radio or the Train or even the Pencil - people FEARED it, but the next generation figured it out. And that’s what we’re in the middle of now with all this technology... figuring out how to navigate what.
What works, and what’s just fear. So that’s what the Technology Guide will help you with.

Remember when people said TV would rot our brains? Then along came the Discovery Channel, Food Network, and amazingly inspiring documentaries. The same resistance showed up with radio, trains, even pencils.
Every generation fears the next new thing — and every generation learns to navigate it.

That’s exactly what’s happening with technology right now. The key is sorting out what’s real and what’s just fear talking. The Technology Guide helps with that.

And sometimes what we need is just fresh inspiration. The Seasonal Guides are for. We’re in Autumn now — and this is such a rich time for learning. Apple orchards, pumpkin patches, fall festivals, astronomy nights as the skies get darker.
But September is almost over — are there things you want to be sure to do before the season slips away? The Autumn Guide has ideas you might not even think of — ready for you to pick and choose. And I’ve included all four seasonal unschooling guides, so you have what you need whenever different seasons roll in.

Part 3 – Why Doubts Creep In

Even when things are going fine, doubts have a way of sneaking back in. Why?

Because when life gets hard, our brains point us back to what’s familiar. For most of us, that’s school. Grades. Tests. Comparison charts.

When our kids’ learning doesn’t look like that, our old conditioning whispers: You’re not doing enough. You’re going to mess this up.

That’s why each guide is structured into three parts:

1. In the Nest — set the stage in your home and community so learning feels natural.
2. All About You — mindset work to unpack your own conditioning and old habits.
3. Practical Support for Kids — real, doable ideas that actually work.
   
   

These guides aren’t fluffy.
They’re packed with what I’ve learned from 30 years of unschooling and coaching parents just like you.

And that’s really why I put these Guides together in the first place. Over the years, I kept hearing the same worries come up again and again — about reading, about math, about technology, about socialization. And instead of answering one parent at a time, I decided to create resources that tackle these obstacles directly.

Normally, I’d just point you toward a single guide that matches the challenge you’re facing. But lately, I’ve been hearing from parents who are overwhelmed on all fronts — academics, critics, technology, mindset — it’s piling up. And if that’s you, you don’t need to wait for a one-at-a-time solution.

That’s why I decided to pull all the Guides together and make them available as a complete Toolkit — right now.

What I Want You to Hear

Here’s what I want you to take away: You are enough.

Your kids are learning, even if it doesn’t look like what school told you it should.

And whenever you feel shaky, you don’t need to retreat to old habits or scramble for a new curriculum.

The Unschooling Mom2Mom Parent Toolkit is your Rescue Toolkit. Twenty-five guides covering the biggest challenges unschooling parents face — academics, critics, technology, seasonal learning, socialization, stress, and more.

Think of it as the resource you can pull out whenever fear creeps in or a new obstacle pops up. Because unschooling really does work — and you deserve to step into it with clarity, confidence, and peace of mind.

👉 Grab the Toolkit for $249 instead of $395!

Thanks for spending this time with me. You’ve got this — and I’ll see you next time.