Finding Balance
Do you find yourself making a list for today’s school that would take a year to complete, expecting so much that no one can ever meet your expectations? Or is it easy to let schoolwork slide when the normal upsets of life happen? These two extremes are pitfalls that can keep a homeschooler always frustrated. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and finding a balance between these two extremes helps.
The Two Extremes
- Super Driven
- Sets out to do it all
- Pushes everyone – hard
- Kids have all their time scheduled
- The list still didn’t get done
- Feels guilty because it’s never all done
- Feels like she’s spinning her wheels
- Super Laid Back
- Let’s work slide when life happens
- Wants to make everyone happy
- Every reason is a reason to set aside work
- Kids notice they can wiggle out of hard things
- Feels guilty about the little she got done
- Feels like school will never be enough
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Often we feel locked into what comes naturally to us instead of challenging ourselves to find balance. The goal of finding a good balance is to use your natural capacity, but not to let it be in charge. Both of these extremes have attributes that every homeschooler needs to find success.
- Homeschooling requires
- Some grit
- Some stick-to-it-ness
- Some lists of things to get done
- Some order
- We do have to get things done.
This is your children’s education.
- Homeschooling also requires
- Some flexibility
- Some grace in the process
- Some letting go of unrealistic expectations
- Some stopping to see the wonder that just presented itself to us
This is your child’s life, not just their learning.
You can see how either extreme, out of balance, is a pitfall. Finding balance is the goal, though it’s not always an easy thing to do. Knowing that you fit into one of these extremes helps to look at the other extreme for ideas that balance your strength. If you lean more to the driven side, find balance by seeking ways to be flexible, and by adjusting your expectations. If you find that you lean more to the laid-back side, find ways to bring order, and ways to be accountable for what needs to be done.
Transitioning from public school, or just beginning to homeschool your littles for the first time can be challenging. If you’re new to this homeschooling adventure I want to encourage you. This is the second in a series of articles that give ideas for how to be resilient in homeschooling. Look for more on this topic next week.