Children come in so many different packages, and discovering who they are is like opening up a wonderful present. You never know what you’re going to get when you have a baby—you hope they take after you, and they will, but they’ll also have their own way of looking at the world that is both fresh and frustrating as you try to guide them to making right choices. Sometimes a homeschool setting is just what these children need to find their true path.
I thought about this as I continued my conversation with ToriAnn Perkey. She said, “My oldest daughter has always done things in the most unexpected ways. I use the word ‘delightful’ to help me remember that ‘different’ doesn’t have to mean ‘frustrating,’ ‘exhausting,’ ‘mind-boggling,’ ‘exasperating’ . . . well, you get the idea! For as long as I can remember, she has always wanted to do things her own way. Once, when she was two, we were on a walk and she was lagging behind. I called for her to come, and she intentionally turned around and walked towards me backwards–just so that she knew I was in charge. She never wanted to do crafts, or follow instructions, or play a game the ‘traditional’ way. She was always looking for her own way to do things. This made parenting quite a challenge.”
My kids definitely march to the beat of their own drummer as well—four different drummers, one for each child—and it’s sometimes difficult to know what each of them needs. It becomes a juggling act as I try to communicate with each of them in a way that they can understand me best, and I can’t even imagine the pressure that would put on a public school teacher with a classroom full of children with their own unique slants on the world. It’s hard enough with four – I can’t fathom twenty or twenty-five! For this reason, I believe homeschool is a good choice for children who need that extra room to be understood for who they are.
Related Blogs:
Honoring Our Children’s Individuality
Letting Your Kids Set the Schedule