As a mom, my number one fear is failing my kids. We work so hard as parents to make sure we are protecting our kids from harm or bad influences, we try our best to pass on wisdom and guide our kids in the right path. We worry about whether we are doing enough, challenging them enough or too much. We ask ourselves things like, “Are they surrounded by good friends? Are they happy? Are they making good grades? Do they get enough one on one time?” The questions you ask yourself are never ending and the answers sometimes lead to more questions. I have found this school year to be a year of asking myself “Am I doing the right thing?”
The fact of the matter is that we don’t truly know the answers to most of these questions until later, but what we do know is that we are doing the absolute best we can.
We have been on a homeschool journey since my first child was in preschool. He is now in sixth grade and I still question everything at least once a year. Questioning yourself seems to be a sign of being a concerned and, in my opinion, awesome parent. My oldest struggled in math this year, so I struggled with the question of “How do I get through to him?” When I was just about ready to pull my hair out and admit defeat, it suddenly clicked. Now he sails through like it’s second nature. I know he will hit a challenge again, but this served as a reminder that we are doing the right thing. We love our homeschool life, and questioning that is a natural response when you hit a tough patch, but the rough patch does end.
My youngest boy has struggled with reading and teaching him has been a completely different experience than my first two experiences. He hates reading, he hates the rules of the English language, and at this point, I did too. We can all admit that the rules for reading English can be A LOT. We hit a brick wall with reading and I was struggling with the question of “What do I do?” We started a new reading app and then something clicked, and now he loves reading on it. If I get out a paper copy of the book, he will hate it and all but refuse to do it, but if we use the app, he reads through it and earns stars. He is reading and getting caught up. Once again, I worried about whether I was making the right decisions and if I was failing him, but once again, I was shown that I was questioning a little too soon.
As humans, we start to question things when we feel like we aren’t enough. We get impatient and want answers immediately, when the fact is that it takes time for results to show themselves. As parents, we question our decisions and our choices because we want what is best for our kids and our families. The reality is that questioning things shows how much you love your kids. Asking myself questions led me to finding apps, guidance, and friends that reminded me of the reasons I do what I do. Don’t let a setback veer you away from the path you are supposed to be on.
