Highlighting Homeschooling by Bethany Gardiner

Author:Bethany Gardiner [Gardiner, Bethany M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-9830420-1-3
Publisher: Emerald Book Company
Published: 2010-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Errands Outside the House

Most parents who don’t homeschool run errands while their kids are in school, letting them accomplish their errands in a peaceful and organized manner. As tempting as that sounds, we as homeschoolers can lose teachable moments and learning opportunities if we start longing for that freedom. Many of the most important skills in life are never taught in school, such as interacting with a wide variety of people (rather than just the ones of your age or socioeconomic background), working with banks, paying bills, making investments, buying homes, prioritizing goals, balancing work-life issues, and running a household. As well, real life shows children the practical application of their schoolwork.

Also, any moment we are not with our children means there might be situations that we are missing in their life. When I was in private practice, I saw a myriad of physical complaints that had their roots not in physical problems, but anxieties and fears. The most common one of these were stomach aches manifesting in the morning before kids left for school. Usually after all physical causes were ruled out, we were still left scratching our heads as to what was the root cause. Many times, the children themselves couldn’t tell us. During the school day, something was usually happening that made the child anxious or nervous, whether it was the dread of a particular class, bullying in the lunchroom, or a fear of getting up in front of the class to present a project. Sometimes if these were really egregious situations, the children could voice their particular worries to myself or their parents, but more often than not, if they were less severe, the child themselves wouldn’t even be able to make the connection between the anxiety-causing problem and the physical complaint. Kids do not place importance on events that we as adults would recognize as a difficult situation. It was simply that they didn’t fully recognize the problem, or it was forgotten in the frenzy of a normal day’s activities.

To adults, this can seem ridiculous, but there is a complex interplay between reluctance to confront authority, social fear or acceptance, and a desire to please adults. There is not really a need to change these behaviors as they are a part of the make-up of childhood, but instead to recognize them and accommodate them. This understanding will allow us to prevent situations in which worries or concerns might be subjugated and make sure they are addressed in a timely and appropriate fashion. If you are present with your children, these situations will not crop up, allowing you to address them immediately and bypass any ongoing problems that can occur.

If you do not already try to incorporate your kids in everything you do, consider starting. Each day, look at what you have to do and try to arrange it so your kids can go with you. When times are tough and you swear you’re going to hunt me down for suggesting this, focus on why they’re with you.

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