I have loads of goals. Homeschooling goals. Font design goals. Life goals. Parenting goals.
I was thinking about my homeschool goals this week.
I planned in my head how we were going to memorize great things this year in homeschool. We were going to learn Spanish and write poetry and master math facts. We were going to tackle subjects intensely and thoroughly.
We do manage to complete our textbook work each day. We take good field trips.
But all of those fancy dreams of awesomeness-we-will-pursue usually remain in my head.
Sure, I have flickering desires to be a tiger mom and make my kids do lots of stuff really well.
But I’m just too lazy for that.
My word of the year I’m focusing on in 2012 is REST. Quit comparing. Quit feeling inadequate. Quit striving for stuff we don’t need.
Just rest. Relax and rest in what God has given us. Rest in who God has made us to be. Rest and settle and be at peace.
I don’t need perfect kids. I don’t need kids who are rockstars in every area. I just want my kids to be who God made them to be.
I love them just the way they are.
I’ll give them opportunities to grow and encourage them when they pursue interests. But they also need to play, to stretch, to curl up with a good book (just for fun!), to laugh, and to snuggle together.
As for Spanish? One of my kids just isn’t ready for it. She needs to just master the English language before we add in another language. And I’m okay with that.
So if my kids (or my family! or just me!) don’t measure up, I don’t care. We’re happy. We have fun together. And the kids are learning. And isn’t that what really matters?
Oh come on, you mean you aren’t perfect?! Ludicrous!
I think one of the beauties of homeschooling (I am SO a… what did you call it? A homeschooling proselyte? lol! I try not to push though…) is that we can customize the education of our children and that education is a lifestyle, not all rolled up into a place we go during the day. For Scotty, instead of pushing worksheets, we did games. In the end they will have done the same thing, with less frustration. For Emily, she’s not picking up on reading as fast (she’s only barely five) as her brother, and that’s okay. She is picking it up at her pace, and at her interest level.
I’m with you! It can be hard to keep perspective in life with the tendency to compare and contrast our lives and our children’s lives with the lives of others, but I think it’s so worth it to fight the good fight and determine what values we want to live our lives with! Nice to “see” you again…I missed reading your fresh perspectives.
Take care,
Shawn
Hi Kim,
So this pops up on READER – and I click – and start reading really fast – and I read…
I have GOATs lots of GOATS -yes I read the first paragraph with all the words Goals as GOATS – ok start over – OHHHHHHHH
-all is well!
Just thought I would share
Carol in FL
You are doing just fine! You have a great family. I’m so glad that I have experienced the joy of hanging out with you, if only we could do it again soon!!!
With you on this
We had a documentary here recently on BBC2 about Chinese Tiger Mums living in Britain (from the Wonderland series)- it was incredible how driven they were. Nothing but first place and being the best was acceptable. Felt so sorry for the kids.