This is very similar to my own experience. Having the freedom to try things out and explore my interests at a young age had a large impact later, and gave me a real sense of personal direction that I see many of my peers lacking.

I do find many of the arguments in this article somewhat nonsensical, but this one in particular hits home.

Unschooling works for some, mostly those who have a desire to self-direct. That's not everyone. Some need the assistance of external structure to be successful, and if left entirely on their own will gravitate to less useful things -- consumption that doesn't lead to creation.

Personally, I was homeschooled for a few years of my elementary education, and it helped me jump far ahead of my peers. My siblings homeschooled for a smaller portion of their education, and didn't find it useful. While their academic level didn't drop below their peers, it wasn't enjoyable and they were quite happy to go back to public school.

> Unschooling works for some, mostly those who have a desire to self-direct. That's not everyone.

Definitely agree, I've also seen a non-zero number of parents using (home/un)schooling as an excuse to basically not parent their children and have intentionally disconnected from those communities