A few years ago I wrote a book on homeschooling. It is mostly a book on my family’s experience in my 24 years of homeschooling. In this time that kids are home all the time and so are their parents, I hope this helps to remind you that there is good even in imperfect homeschooling.
Regardless of what our family has gone through, whether it has been sickness, accidents, disorders or financial crises, our family has come together to face it together. whether they are directly affected or not. Praying, comforting, feeding, supporting. Always there, always helping, always faithful. That, my friends, is something I would not exchange for any amount of money or position. Every time I think about it, I cry. I am so grateful to God for my family. Yes, my kids have argued and been mean to each other, they’ve been vindictive, they’ve teased relentlessly, and they’ve driven me up the wall. My kids have hurt my feelings with their words and with their actions, and I have hurt theirs. We are not perfect, but we are united.
Now that I’m a few steps ahead, I can tell you, that that is the family I’m talking about when I say I cry with gratitude every time I think about them. I tell you this because when they were very young, I used to panic every time they fought, disobeyed, or just flat out, in your face, rebelled. I was filled with fear thinking I was doing something wrong and they were going to wind up in jail or in a bad marriage and it would all be my fault. The result was that I took myself a little too seriously and did not always get to enjoy life as much because I was too busy worrying and being fearful!
This excerpt is taken from a book for homeschoolers. And while you may not have chosen homeschooling, if you have been home with your kids 24/7, you have probably had similar fears. Fear makes our vision blurry. It makes us focus on the negative instead of the positive.
While there are always improvements to be made in parenting, don´t forget there are good things in every family, in every parent and in every child. As you go throughout the daily routines and make tweaks here and there, make a mental list of all the good things. Or better yet, write them down! And don’t forget to share them with your kids. There is always something good in imperfect parenting.