Does homeschooling ever frighten you? As in, do you ever
worry
that your kids might not know it all when you’re done?
First and foremost, yes and secondly define "know it all."
I need to give you a little background on our homeschooling
adventure. My first mistake when we
started homeschooling was to read homeschool blogs. You know the ones. The ones that talk about how much of a breeze
it is and how you will love it. Believe
me when I say they are full of it. It's
not all rainbows and unicorns that most of them show. It is not a walk in the
park. They lie and that is why I panic.
I stress. A lot!
I looked to them for advice on how I can make our homeschool
adventurous and fun and easy, but instead, I found myself comparing myself (and
my child) to them. That is the absolute worst
thing you can do to you (and your child)!
I also found I compared my child to her public school friends (and
sometimes still do). I see the things
that are being taught and think, "Oh, my gosh! We haven't even covered that yet! We are so behind." But then I think of the public schools and
how everything is taught one way and sometimes that one child is left behind to
fend for themselves and possibly never learning or understanding what was
taught. I am afraid that would be my
daughter.
While I often struggle with the concept of not worrying if my
child is up to speed on each and every subject, my husband rests assured that
the she understand the concepts I am teaching her. We homeschool and
because that is what we think is right for our child. We learn different things at different paces
and well, we are able to spend the time that is needed for her to
understand. Sure she may not be moving
ahead as quickly as some of her public school friends - no big deal. I also have to remember that she is having
fun learning and that is what matters.
If you have fun learning, you will learn and remember.
I frequently receive comments about how much patience I must have
- "I could never do that with my child." What they don't see are the days we are both
at our wits end, both in tears, and I am ready to throw in the towel. Those days where I am so frustrated that she
is just not getting it and I don't know why.
Those days where it should take one lesson to grasp concept but for some
reason it just hasn't clicked and we are now working on day two or three of the
same lesson. It's like we are on a
treadmill - not going anywhere.
She was advanced in all areas but reading? Forget it.
We’d spend countless hours reading and pointing out words but nothing.
While kids her age (or younger) were already reading, she showed no
interest and I was devastated. People would tell me "She'll
learn when she's ready" but that wasn't good enough. We all
have hopes and dreams for our children.
We dream for the day when they can accomplish the task without the tears
and struggles. We frequently have
hurdles and speed bumps we must tackle on a weekly (or daily) basis. Then something happened. Something just clicked and we made a
breakthrough. I don't know what, but it did.
She went from not being able to read to reading picture books
overnight. I wanted her to love reading
as much as my husband and I do but I was convinced the entire situation was
doomed. I wasn't able to see the small
progress she was making simply because I wanted what I wanted.
I was finally able to see what my husband had been trying to tell
me for months. Our struggling reader was
no longer struggling. All those trials
and hurdles I'd climbed with her had paid off.
There are times that I don't see the accomplishments we are making
but others - especially my husband - do.
Sometimes she surprises me when something is asked and I think I will
have to walk her through the problem and she just spits out the answer.
So the answer is yes, I
worry. In fact, I am almost positive
that at one time or another all homeschool families worry about their child(ren). It is just one of those fates homeschool Moms
(and Dads) are doomed for. I often hold
my breath and try really, really hard not to panic and sometimes I just need
that one person to calm me down and bring me back to reality.
I have to say I am
grateful for my husband. He grounds
me. He brings me back to reality. I'm grateful to my daughter who amazes me and
reminds me that the struggles are worth it.
It's why we, as homeschoolers, seem to find ourselves saying,
"Don't worry, they'll be fine!"
As much as we say it to others is as often as we need to hear it
ourselves.
My daughter may not be learning the same stuff at the same time as public school students (who you are comparing my child to) but she is learning. Am I concerned? Nope. She'll be fine!
