My younger son wanted to learn guitar. We could not afford it at first.
Finally he got his acoustic guitar and lessons. I said if he was serious and learned to read music and to play then after that he could have an electric guitar. It took a year to get fluent and he then received that electric guitar. Lessons continued and he played nearly every day for fun and to practice. I did not push him to practice, he did it on his own and loved it.
When the job was lost the lessons stopped, there was no money in the budget. My son stopped playing. Then we moved and had no teacher. My son did not resume playing.
It has been exactly two years since my son stopped playing guitar.
We have the money for lessons now but he has not asked to take them.
So, four years ago he started guitar, and two years ago he stopped.
I am sharing this story as further proof as to why my younger son would never make it as an unschooler. He thrived with the regularly scheduled lessons. He likes a deadline. He likes to know he will have to perform by a certain date. he was inspired by the live teacher who knew him as a person. Left to his own devices he does not practice to keep the learning going. Without the lessons he does not go to YouTube to find lessons he could do on his own (as some homeschooled kids we know on tight budgets do on their own).
So, my son is a failure as an unschooler. I love the idea of unschooling and mourned the loss of that educational method when we quit it. This guitar situation that is happening here and now is further and more recent proof that my younger son is just not cut out for unschooling. I am trying to be happy and grateful for the good in our lives instead of feeling negatively about things that don't work out, like unschooling.
But I do wish the kid would play guitar again...it was nice to see him happily doing something that was "just his own" and that did not involve staring at a screen. He was building skill and having fun. Maybe I need to offer up those lessons again...
Update 11/29/12: I wrote this post about two weeks ago. Over the weekend I offered the lessons again. I explained I have a good referral from a friend of a cool and nice teacher who comes to the house, just like the former teacher did. My son said he does not care anything about playing guitar now and is "over it". At present the guitars are on display in his bedroom, all ready to use, not just for decoration. He asked if he could sell them and keep the money for himself since the stuff belonged to him. My husband (who was present) and I did not respond. Frankly after the over a thousand dollars we spent on the guitars (and we got some of it at 50% off!), the speaker, the Cry Baby, the replacemnt strings, etc. and the about three thousand dollars on lesson fees I'd like to put the money into the family's fund. I didn't want to get into a debate over it.