As kids grow older they change and parents need to change too. So many of us are homeschooling our older students today, whether you are doing school at home or a more traditional homeschool. As homeschool parents of older students, our roles are different than if our kids were in elementary school. Understanding this makes it easier for everyone involved.
In this case, I’m not talking about gym class.
Flexibility has a lot to do with the growth mindset that I’ve talked about earlier. We need to see ourselves and others as able to change and grow. Our teens are in the middle of going through so many changes in their lives that helping them learn and internalize this is critical. Being flexible also has a lot to do with being imaginative, creative, and innovative.
Read Part 1 HERE.
Read Part 2 HERE.
Read Part 3 HERE.
Once I got back to our room after falling out on our rafting trip, I immediately got in the shower to warm up. I stood in hot water as it helped me stop shivering. I still wasn’t warm at my core, so I dressed in warm, comfortable clothes and got into bed and promptly fell asleep.
When I woke up, my husband tried to show me some of the pictures the professional photographer took. He looked it up on his phone, and it was small and hard to see. It freaked him out when I fell out. He wanted to keep reliving it. I, on the other hand, did not. I needed a little time.
Read Part 1 HERE.
Read Part 2 HERE.
As we were going down the biggest rapids of our trip, I got off balance and fell backward out of the raft. I tried to grab on to the boat, but I was ripped away from it. Water gushed up my nose, and I fought to breathe. The cold hit me and took all the energy out of me. The current slammed me into rocks, and the raft with my family was floating away from me.
Read Part One of my story HERE.
Rafting down the Arkansas River in Colorado, you are surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful scenery. There are cliffs of red with majestic mountains. The trees are all different hues of green with beautiful wildflowers scattered within them. The river rocks are all different colors and the water glimmers as it slides over them. It looks like an ever-changing mosaic.
My husband, son, and I were able to attend a camp this summer. They usually host hundreds of kids, but due to the current situation and regulations, they could not have kids sleepover unattended. They did an excellent job of being flexible and finding ways to still serve their community. It is a high adventure camp, and they are used to having campers do much of the work. The counselors have had to shift their viewpoint. They no longer have campers; they have guests. It is a different paradigm. And they have nailed it.
I attended this camp several times when I was young, and all five of my boys have been campers here at least a couple of times. Our youngest was supposed to be here for two weeks this summer. I love this camp for so many reasons, but the one that I’m writing about today is that it encourages my family and me to do hard things.
As a new homeschooling parent, it is really easy to get overwhelmed by all the information available. There are so many different types of curriculum and opportunities for you and your kids. How do you choose?
It would help if you answered a few questions:
Imagine yourself working on a project. You are really getting into it, and the ideas are coming fast and furious. You are making connections and are really getting excited about what you are learning and what you will be able to share.
And then the bell rings.
I took two years to embrace the idea of homeschooling. It was absolutely not something I saw myself doing, but I felt like I needed to do in the circumstances I was put in. It was scary, and it was taking on a HUGE responsibility! If I screwed up my kids, it was ALL my fault! And it wasn’t just their academics. It was their self-esteem and socialization. It was a tough decision and one of the best ones I made in my life.
EWWWWW! No. I don’t mean literally eat your pet frog. Eating your frog is based on a quote from Mark Twain,
If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning.