I’ll let you in on a secret. Success in homeschooling is not dependent on how your children turn out. That’s because you can’t measure your own success or failure based on the behavior of others.
It may sound shocking, but it is true. Parents can’t control their adult children. They can only control their own choices and behaviors. Therefore, our success in homeschooling must be based on what we do, as parents, and not on the results we see in our children. We are like a contractor who builds the foundation of a house. Our concrete must be strong, but our work cannot ensure the house will be built properly.
Success is when you “leave it all on the field” as they say in sports. True success means you did your best, tried your hardest, and worked to prepare your children for the future. Parents cannot be perfect, but they can give their best effort. Success means giving your children the best possible education and character you can provide. After their education is complete, their choices are up to them.
Your measurement of success cannot depend on your children’s behavior, because you can’t control their behavior. It can only depend on you.
Homeschooling is NOT the same as doing schoolwork at home. There is LOTS of freedom! My Gold Care Club will give you all the help you need to succeed!
Refreshing to “hear” someone say that. I wish I’d learned that when my kids were tiny and I was reading all those idiotic parenting books that prey on parents’ fears of being pariahs if their kids aren’t perfect. Thank God we all moved beyond that phase and I’ve got two pretty darned good adolescents!
As a parent of a child soon leaving high school … this is perhaps the best thing I’ve read all year. I tend to overworry about the “what if…” and having a hard time letting her make her own decisions for fear her failure will reflect as bad parenting.
Thanks.
Lee this is such an important issue and I am so glad you addressed it! We cannot “own” our children’s successes or failures. We can celebrate and commiserate with them but ultimately they must decided what life they want to live. And we can not be perfect parents but we can be good enough:) Thanks so much for writing this!