To the notion of not being “enough”…

This is a question I have seen pop up for many new to homeschooling. It’s something people face in many areas of life without a doubt but most often a feeing that comes from being schooled ourselves for many. Being in competition with one another is quite normal in a system of grading and testing and being measured (scored) against averages.

One cannot help but compare themselves to others in such an environment and it can become habit. No matter how much a school may say they don’t do this… the system itself is centred on this very foundation of being compared and pursuing the goal of being “enough” to pass or please.

So I speak to this feeling in parents who are new to homeschooling and doubting themselves in some or any way. I understand the “not enough” feeling as someone who felt that way as a child in many ways from the age of 2 when I first entered foster care. But I’ve come around to being (feeling like) enough, thankfully.

See… I get it. People are used to school being the norm so doubts about anything else are understandable when that’s all one has been used to and familiar with. But the answer to the question of if I ever feel that way is No. I see the family unit and home as a place of great power over a child’s wellbeing.

This is a blessing of knowing what it’s like to not have a stable early life. On the flip side, I see the value of having strong roots because it became import – ant to me. Something becomes of “importance” when we understand the “lack of” it (whatever it is). So it’s something I imported and compensated for in becoming a parent.

So I guess it gives me a strong sense of the value of just one moment… those little things that parents can say or do and how much difference they can make to a child’s life… and how much those things can mean to a child and impress upon a child. I see childhood and parenting as something that can have lifelong lasting influences upon the way a child sees and experiences the world.

So, there is no “not enoughness” in my homeschooling experience. In fact I look at it in a way that by sending children to school, they can “miss out” on so much of life! The rich and abundant opportunities and possibilities for learning that are everywhere and infinite just can’t be accommodated freely in a set place and time by one figure of authority with a select set of same aged children, not varying too much in life experiences.

The way I see it is… Life is our oyster and freedom to choose what to learn is invaluable! The world is huge and who’s to say what minuscule things we should focus our attention upon? Why is it so that we follow such dogmas? These are the questions I ask anyhow. I hope this stirs some question in you… rather than self doubt. It’s all about the beauty of curiosity and inquisitiveness. That’s my opinion anyway. Hope it helps:)

With Love,

Leah

• 

• 

•