“Hurry!” How many times did I say that in those arly years of home- schooling? Hurry and
finish;that;math;page.;Hurry;and;get;in
the car. Hurry and eat. Hurry, hurry, hurry! Now that my children are graduating
and leaving the house, I want to scream,
“Slow;down!”;What;drove;me;to;spend
so many of our early years in a hurry?
Recently, I sent a text to each of my
homeschool friends that has graduated
at least one child. I asked them what
they wish they had done differently in
homeschooling. I expected a great variety of answers. What I did not expect
was a variation of the exact same answer.
They all—every one of them—wish they
would have slowed down. They admitted
they were performance oriented, accomplishment driven, and highly pressured
to do, do, do. These moms regret the time
they spent pursuing success.
Why do we get so caught up in our
children’s;academic;performance?;I;sur-
mise;it’s;because;of;an;underlying;lie—the
deception that our self worth is tied to our
children’s;achievements.;We’re;afraid;for
them to fail. With this fear as a motivator,
we prioritize completing every assign-
ment,;finishing;every;course,;and;practi-
cing to perfection. Our time is focused on
outside classes, extra curricular activities,
and competitions. Deep inside is a need
to prove our worth as homeschooling
moms—to reveal our competence and
show those naysayers how wrong they are.
Could;it;be;that;we’ve;homeschooled;with
the fear of man as our guide?
Is;there;anything;wrong;with;finish-ing the course, pursuing extra curricular
activities, or competing with excellence?
No. Definitely not. However there is
something wrong when the motivation
for doing these things is anything other
than the peaceful guidance of the Holy
Spirit.;And;so;we;must;ask;ourselves:;Am
I driven by faith or fear?
Honestly, fear is a powerful driving
force. It motivates us to action. If we fear
what others think, we’ll jump through
hoops to make sure we maintain their
high;opinion.;We’ll;go;against;our;natu-
ral;inclinations;to;gain;their;approval.;But
God has not given us a spirit of fear. The
Scriptures tell us: “For God has not given
us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of
power, love, and self-discipline” ( 2;Timo-
thy;1: 7;NLT1).;More;than;300;times;He
commands us not to fear. That includes
not;making;decisions;rooted;in;fear.
Pressure, stress, worry, anxiety and
panic. These are synonyms for fear. Call it
what;you;will,;but;in;the;end;it’s;all;fear—
plain and simple. When we experience
fear,;we;often;end;up;making;choices;that
add;more;pressure;to;our;lives.;Let’s;look
at how fear based decisions can affect our
homeschooling.
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
Homeschool Support
Under
Pressure:
Peace;for
the Driven
Homeschool
Parent
Deep inside is a need
to prove our worth as
homeschooling moms.
By;Jeannie;Fulbright
