(Last Updated on January 21, 2023)
In the previous post, I shared how Daniel Tiger reminded me to be grateful and stay positive. We’ve started using gratitude journals in the evenings to help us focus our thoughts on our blessings before bed. So far there haven’t been any complaints about the extra writing – a Christmas miracle!
Daniel has been teaching me other things lately, too.
He’s been reminding me that the more we, as homeschool parents, can make progress toward improving our own emotional well-being and healthy responses, the more easily and quickly our kids will learn those lessons, too.
For example…
“When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to 4.”
I need this reminder more often than I’d like to admit. And sometimes I need to count to a number (a lot) higher than four!
When the kids are acting up or it’s just one of those days when nothing seems to be working right, don’t feel bad about taking a break! Give yourself a time-out in a different room for a few minutes to regain your composure and prevent yourself from saying something you’d regret!
Once everyone is more calm, remember to…
“Use your words”
Sometimes familiarity breeds laziness when it comes to communication. Because we spend so much time together, I’ve found my kids and I assume we can read each others’ minds or know what each other means without using full sentences.
But, whether it’s closure after a disagreement or a reminder that you love them and you’re proud of them, keep the out-loud conversation going. Clarify expectations, communicate needs and wishes, share what you’re feeling, and encourage your kids to use their words, too.
And if Daniel’s reminders are making you feel more burdened, don’t worry – he has a song he’ll repeat 45 times for that, too…
“If something seems hard to do, try it a little bit at a time.”
Whether your surrounded with physical messes or the intangible uncertainties of how to home educate, most things are easier if you take baby steps. (Side note: If you are uncertain about home education, check out my book, Think About Homeschooling! Written with potential and new homeschoolers in mind, it will help give you the confidence you need to homeschool well!)
When I look at the post-Christmas, house-cleaning nightmare that is my home right now, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. After staring at the mess for a few minutes and feeling completely defeated, I remembered Daniel Tiger’s wise words. There’s no way I can clean the whole mess today but I can put the dishes away.
After each baby step, the impossible thing becomes more possible.
The same is true of homeschooling. It’s sooo easy to feel overwhelmed if you think of planning the K-12 education in all subjects for all of your kids. Where to begin?! But if you scale it down to bite-sized tasks, you can chip away at your “impossible” mission one manageable step at a time. You CAN do it!
“Keep on trying, you’ll get better.”
You really will! Each year we homeschool I’ve learned more about what does and doesn’t work for my kids (and me, too!) and I put more pieces of the homeschool puzzle together.
If you’re new to home education and you haven’t yet found your groove, don’t panic! It takes a while to transition, de-school, and get your bearings. Especially if you’re coming from a traditional school mentality, it’s a huge paradigm shift for the whole family.
Don’t worry! Your kids don’t need to learn everything today or even this year! You’re figuring this whole thing out and so are your kids, so give them and yourself lots of grace and cover the whole endeavor in prayer!
Thanks, Daniel Tiger, for your words of wisdom! Ugga-Mugga!
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