They'll Turn Out Alright

I'll share a quick post which I'm publishing while on a break from packing.

Lately I have been thinking about my kids turning out alright overall. A voice, or God, or my gut, or something, is telling me that no matter how much I fret or stress out about my kid's homeschooling, they are going to turn out just fine.

This summer has been focused on preparing for the big move. It has taken almost all my time and energy since mid-May. I have no time to stress over or even plan much for my older son's freshman high school homeschool year which begins in a few weeks.

One thing I have put a ton of thought into is parenting my kids. If I somehow manage to mess up their home education all the good parenting skills I've poured into them will still have reaped some reward, so my efforts will not have been for naught.

I have been thinking that really so far, my kids have turned out great. I get many compliments about them, their personality, how easy they are to get along with, how pleasant they are to have around, and how their friends all clamor to be with them more. The things my kids do is partly nature and partly nuture. I have taken many steps to teach them basic etiquette and I've had to speak to them directly and plainly about what is rude behavior and what is unacceptable. I've taught them things like how to do things like graciously decline a serving of a certain food they know they hate when they are a guest at someone else's home. My kids didn't just get this way from their inborn nature, the guidance from me and my husband deserves some (if not most of the) credit.

My first goal for my kids at the end of their high school education is to have my kids be decent people who can contribute to society and who have decent social skills and are likeable people. My second goal is for them to come out of it free from mental illness diagnoses and not taking any prescribed medications for anxiety disorders or other such (now) common childhood and teen conditions. I believe some of what goes on in school or at home actually causes the problems so we're trying to avoid those; if you don't believe me, watch the documentary Race to Nowhere. Third, I want them prepared for college to seek the major of their choice. I used to think that was the primary goal but I have since reshuffled the priorities to add in what some would say is stating the obvious.

If my kids can't hack their studies in order to study a certain major in college it will be okay so long as the first two goals stated above are still fulfilled. I want healthy kids both mentally and physically and I want them to be happy pursuing something decent in their lives.

If they don't have what it takes to get into a prestigious college that's okay. I want them to find a college that's a good fit and one that can give them a good education.  I don't want them attending a school that's a poor fit socially or one that is so difficult that they are in over their heads and can't learn due to being overwhelmed.

I just don't want my kids to have been capable of more and have them not reach their goals because of my inadequacies or my ignorances in my handling of their home education. I don't think I've screwed them up yet! They're entering grade nine and six now and I think their heads are on straight and they have decent thinking skills and common sense, and those three things are really important!