Focusing on The Players | In Due Season Vol 1.1

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I can identify the exact moment when a board game stops being fun, can’t you?

You hear the giggles lessen and the arguments increase. If you intervene you know where the focus will turn; the score. As soon as winning and losing becomes the primary focus, the kids forget about the fun they were having.

[Tweet “To have your focus on the win, is the best way to miss the game.”]

We can do the same thing in homeschooling.

If we aren’t intentional with our purpose, homeschooling can send us into the same cycle of lost focus and divided hearts. Keeping score and comparisons can cost us the joy that being together should bring.

Do you struggle with looking at the other players score around the table of life?

I’ve been envious of my friends relationship with their daughters, it came so naturally and mine was so hard. I’ve been frustrated by my non reader when I hear about all the books his friend has read recently. It is so easy to get drawn into comparing, it is difficult to keep it from clouding your expectations.

I’ve been distracted in so many ways through the years that we have been homeschooling. I have had failures using the wrong tools, or a great new type of learning method with the wrong kid. We lose sight of the big picture when we don’t focus on the individual players; our children. Each individual is unique and their educational needs are just as unique. If we get drawn into comparison, we are likely to miss questions that could lead your child to success where there is difficulty.

We’ve had our share of challenges along the path with 10 different personalities to learn to respond to.  The more I meet their needs as individuals with love the more growth I have seen in their schooling and our relationships.

Comparisons drew us in

If we fail to count for each individual students situation, we can begin to drift. Each one of my children has a different learning style, strengths and weaknesses. I have the blessing of seeing them grow through the them. When I focus on meeting their needs without comparing them to an ideal standard I can meet their needs. We can play to their strengths and plan for their weaknesses.

I hope you know that no family is as uniquely qualified to meet your child’s need as your own. There has never been a greater time in history to homeschool. No matter what challenges you and your child will face; resources abound and many answers are just a few clicks away.

Look for helpers and encouragers that will lend you their wisdom when you ask and a willing shoulder when you just need supported.

If we only talk learning styles and curriculum choices, it is like looking at only the game board without paying close attention to the key players.

Our Love Needed to be Stretched 

As parents we are growing as constantly as our kids. Why do we need this series of lessons? Because, ignoring our own heart and the need for truth and constant growth is a dangerous pitfall. We have to intentionally avoid pride and fear by stretching ourselves daily. The pressure to win will tempt us, when it does we begin to focus solely on schooling goals and achievements and lose sight of the heart of our student.

In the end, academic goals are nothing if we fail to show Christ’s love to our children in ways that will effect their life.

The gift of homeschooling is only one of the many opportunities we have to uniquely show love to our children. I want to make sure that we strive to make it focused on shaping their whole person.

Coming Soon

In Due Season the full course and daily journal questions for digging deeper about your individual school will be available on October 1st. Subscribe here and we will send out an invitation to you first.