IDOLizing Our Time Together

One thing I absolutely love, love, LOVE about unschooling is how the kids interests often draw me in to things I wouldn't necessarily seek out on my own. Recently, Asa has gotten very into watching American Idol. Now this isn't a show I would normally turn on. I've come across it a few times in the last years, but always just kept on switching by. Asa is, of course, our resident diva, and it's a rare moment that she's not singing. So American Idol is right up her alley and she's been known to ask more than once how many more years until she can audition (the picture of her below is from her 5th birthday, and now that she's going on 10, she's only got 6.5 years to go)

So this season, I said I'd watch it with her from start to finish. We just got unlimited texting on our family's cell phones this year too, so Mackenzie pointed out that we could even vote this year. So we made popcorn and got comfortable a couple of weeks ago and settled down to watch the auditions together. I don't think Mackenzie would've turned this show on in a million years but he has even gotten to look forward to watching.

One thing that's been very immediately apparent is that there are a lot of people out there without very much self awareness at all. And a good handful more who could use to learn a few things about graciousness and humility. I told Asa that if she ever goes on the show, I hope to heaven that she's one of those people who are not only great singers (of course) but who don't go in with the world's cockiest attitudes like the show owes them something, but with a positive spirit and a graciousness, whether they get picked or not.

I'm looking forward to seeing the people that have been picked and how they work their craft of music, and looking forward to learning more about this profession that my daughter so aspires to. I can't wait to see who moves on and who drops off and the ins and outs and whys of it all. And I wouldn't be so interested if one of my kids wasn't. There have been so many subjects like this - whether its Mallet steam locomotives or Celtic fiddle playing or robotics that my kids have drawn me into. The great thing about being an unschooling parent is that you're learning all the time right alongside your kids.