Welcome to the Wild and Free podcast, episode 65.

I'm Ainsley Arment, and this week we're talking with Greta Eskridge, author of the new book,

Adventuring Together.

And misadventures really draw us together sometimes even more so than when everything goes according to plan,

because in the midst of struggle, we pull together.

And then they make great stories later.

And that's actually one of our family mottoes is it will make a great story later.

We'll also share about a few exciting things coming up in the wild and free community.

So grab a cup of coffee and join us on the front porch.

Let's get started.

I used to worry that what we did for homeschool didn't look like work. I don't anymore.

I used to become insecure when other parents described

how long it took their children to do their homework at night. Now I feel sorry for them. When

children's play intersects with their desire to learn more and deepen their understanding,

it is work. The other day, my eldest son was noodling on his laptop when I told

him to put it away. He was researching animation techniques, and it wasn't the normal designated time

for him to be on it. But you're on your laptop, he said. I'm doing work, I explained. He bit his

tongue as if he might burst. But so am I, he erupted. I paused for a moment,

looked into his eyes, and realized he was being earnest. Just as I thought the importance of working

on what I was doing preempted all other activities at the time, my son felt the same way about his research.

And he was right. What he was doing may not have looked like work, but that didn't mean he wasn't working. I watched him adjust his characters

trying to make their movements appear more natural. I observed him studying the experts,

...