this is my lylly (lyllian jane), she is 6 and half years old and she is teaching herself how to read.  yes, thats right, she is teaching herself how to read.  some people i meet area bit disappointed that she isnt reading _war and peace_ at her age (ah homschooling stereotypes); but is it really about how fast you can ram teaching them how to read that counts or letting them find such a love for reading that they want to learn on their own?  im not saying we dont help her, but she comes to us with questions.  its amazing to watch.  look at that face, what a pixie.

when máire was her age i had already taught her how to read, i used "100 eazy lessons" and i literally drilled it into her so that she was reading classics like "kidnapped" by the time she was lyllys age.  but i am not proud of what i did, in fact i am pretty much ashamed of how much pressure i put on máire to not only learn how to read but to read way beyond a level that any childe should be pushed into reading.  i am extremely grateful that i didnt spoil her love for reading, she loves books almost more than anything.  now writing, i think her distaste for writing came from my pushing reading, and thus, writing.  math i just taught her the basics and she took off on her own, the computer was the same way and she taught herself computer graphics when she was 7. 

i guess my point is you can trust in your children, i know its hard; especially when you start the comparisons.  DO NOT compare your child to any other child, even brothers and sisters.  if they are 8 and still dont know how to read, its okay - it will come.  there are statistics and studies showing that boys, in particular, learn to read best between 7-12 years of age. 

you may believe that you cannot unschool, but you have been.  you were unschooling from the moment they came into your life.