How many times have you heard this statement?! Usually it’s premised with, “Oh I could never homeschool”.
Don’t you wish you had a dollar for every occasion.
People seem to think that patience is something you either have or you don’t have.
But patience is a choice you make. Rarely an easy choice but a choice all the same. With practise it does becomes easier but it remains always a choice.
So to be a patient person is not a criteria for homeschooling. It’s a choice you make on the job from one incident to the next.
Of course you may find that homeschooling gives you many more opportunities to practise your patience. Maybe that is why homeschoolers appear to be a more patient bunch.
Homeschooling is certainly more pleasant if we choose patience over frustration and anger.
Yesterday I challenged myself to make patience my conscious choice all day. It was not easy but it was a very pleasant and interesting day. As I choose patience my boys started to mirror my behaviour. Towards the end of the day I had less and less reasons to need patience. Their usually “spirited” little boy selves were calmer, gentler and more inclined towards obedience with a simple reminder. Who’d have thought!
I dare you to take the challenge too. Make a conscious decision to not let anything “get your goat”. It may take every ouch of will you have. It’s no small challenge. Take everything calmly. Just stop. Pause. Think about your words and your approach. Speak gently but firmly. Tell them how it will be and don’t enter into conflict with them. Ask them to apologise for behaviours and words that break your rules. Cuddle them lots.
Remember we don’t have “control” of our days or others’ choices. The only control we have is over our OWN choices.
So choose patience because you CAN have the patience to homeschool…if you want it.
Choose it daily, moment to moment! I dare you.
