I spend a lot of time wondering if I am ruining my kids.
Anyone else??
When they were babies it was the battle of breast-feeding verses bottle feeding.
Then it was balancing nap times with family adventures like camping and skiing. Surely I was denying them much needed rest?
Now we are in the school years. And I wonder if they should be able to read better at their age while simultaneously worrying about “over schooling” them at too young of an age, and not letting them develop more.
And so today has it’s own worries. When you are both parent, teacher and dreamer…. you find yourself conflicted.
Yesterday it was 70 degrees and beautiful outside. Sure, we should do a science lesson but the kids are laughing and digging dirt holes and playing pretend and capturing ladybugs in the backyard. How could I interrupt??
And today it is snowing, for like the first time this winter… yeah. I know. It is April. My kid’s little hearts are gazing hopefully out the window. Every gust of wind let’s loose a flurry of snowballs from the tops of the pine trees outside and they all cheer.
“School? Who needs school?! Go get your snow boots on,” I say.
And so they frolic about outside, rosy-cheeked and smelling of wet wool. And I wonder if I am ruining their education with my inability to limit their outside playtime. I just cannot help it. I love watching their imaginations run wild.
And so I fall back on this:
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
My worry will add nothing.
I recently heard a teaching on worrying and fretting. The speaker pulled up the definition of “fret”.
Fret (v): to cause corrosion, to wear away or consume by gnawing
Man, that is straight to the point. Our worrying or fretting wears away, rips apart, consumes us, causes corrosion. It sure feels that way most the time, right?
In fact, I’d say the surest way to “ruin” our kids it to live a worried life.
So, as for me? I know I won’t be perfect. So instead I rest in grace and try to “laugh at the days to come” as often as possible.
That time spent outside with you, all those little life lessons (and life *enjoyment*) they pick up, are going to have much more impact than whatever book lesson you had planned.
Thanks for this!
I needed this today. It’s so true but sometimes so hard to not compare or worry when you are living your life differently than those around you.
I agree. Sometimes I think we are living too differently. And other times I wish we could do more so!
We’re all out in the snow today, too. And when the school bus kids get off and walk past our house, our already built snowman family will be waving!
Have fun in the snow!
Playing outside is education 🙂 I had the same worries when my kids were in that age range. So much so that I let those worries drive me into putting the kids in school. After a couple of years we pulled them out because I realized how much time at school they were wasting and how little physical activity they were getting. The flexibility to let your kids out to frolic in the snow is one of the blessings of homeschooling.
This is so true! I worry sometimes, but like you, realize that it amounts to very little and can actually damage things worse. Definitely need a balance, but when outside is calling, we go!