322. Parenting a Spicy One with Mary Van Geffen

What if the way we think about sickness has been shaping our lives for thousands of years? Historian and author Susan Wise Bauer joins us to discuss her new book, The Great Shadow, and the surprising ways illness has influenced everything from religion and medicine to consumer culture and politics. We explore why ancient beliefs about sickness persist, how historical pandemics mirror our experience with COVID-19, and why we so often associate good health with personal virtue. Susan also shares how understanding history can help us question our assumptions, navigate medical decisions, and approach illness with greater compassion. Join us for a fascinating look at the history we carry into the present!

What if the best thing we can give our kids isn’t a perfectly planned education, but a childhood that leaves room for wonder? We’re joined by Wild + Free founder Ainsley Arment to talk about her new picture book, Grow Wild, My Child, and the philosophy behind a childhood rooted in nature, curiosity, story, and play. We explore Ainsley’s unexpected path to homeschooling, the origins of Wild + Free, and why wonder and rigor don’t have to compete. We also dig into screens, AI, child-led learning, family culture, and the joy of following “contagious obsessions” wherever they lead. Join us for a refreshing reminder that learning doesn’t need a worksheet to count.

What if the thing standing between us and a satisfying homeschool rhythm isn’t the curriculum, but our resistance to sitting down and making a plan? We’re looking at how attention, boredom, confusion, and even our phones shape the way we approach learning. Then we get practical, building a flexible monthly rhythm around read-alouds, Poetry Teatime, copywork, dictation, freewriting, nature study, and meaningful writing projects. The goal isn’t a rigid schedule or endless workbook pages. It’s enough preparation to help learning feel alive, responsive, and sustainable. Join us and discover how a little scaffolding can create more freedom in your homeschool.

What rights do we forget we have when homeschooling becomes an all-consuming family project? Staying home to educate our kids can be meaningful, joyful work, but it is still work. We deserve a voice in family finances, time to maintain employable skills, space for lesson preparation, personal interests, exercise, rest, and a say in the educational decisions we spend our days carrying out. We also get to change our minds. Homeschooling does not require signing away the rest of our adulthood. We’re talking about financial agency, shared household labor, professional development, supportive partnerships, and why caring for our own future belongs inside the homeschool plan too. Listen in, then ask yourself: what would change if you treated homeschooling like the real career it is?

What if movie day isn’t a break from learning, but one of the ways we build a rich education? Movies give our kids stories, language, history, cultural references, and characters they can return to again and again. We talk about why rewatching counts, how film can make Shakespeare and Jane Austen more accessible, and what happens when favorite lines become family lore. We also explore modern adaptations, film clubs, fandom, and the joy of recognizing an old story in a new form. So dim the lights, grab the popcorn, and give yourself permission to count the movie. Then tell us what your family is watching!