There's nothing wrong with being a planner, and I hope I didn't sound like I was being critical.
I know that IME (and that of the new homeschoolers I've observed), just about the only honest-to-goodness mistake you can make (especially if you are a planner) is to be too rigid, too set on one path, too resistant to changing if something doesn't work as well as it might. It's next to impossible to be underprepared for homeschooling, since you can always find/buy more stuff. One trip to the library or the museum or even the grocery store or the Internet can provide days or weeks of homeschooling material. But it is VERY easy to be overprepared!
I've learned a lot about valuing loosey-goosey-ness since we began homeschooling. Especially with an HG+ child.
I hope that clarifies. I don't want to make it sound like planning is bad. Just that it's easy to overplan and get stuck in on a set-up that isn't workable. And THAT can be really painful for all invoved, not to mention really expensive. Staying with a curriculum that doesn't fit is the one way I know of to turn a child off to homeschooling. Especially the first year, exploration time is key.
