Home education depends on a healthy, vibrant family life.
“Yeah right” you may be saying. I get it! Sibling rivalry, resistance to “chores,” and all that together time can make “happy family” seem impossible.
Let’s fix that on this episode of the Brave Writer podcast!
The Power & Responsibility Axis
The power and responsibility axis is what creates roles in families.
The person with the most power has the most responsibility, and the person with the least power has the least responsibility. A newborn baby just has to show up and exist – it’s not fair to expect them to pay the pills, or even have a good attitude about being there!
Choice Creates Space & Freedom
So when we think about how families evolve into a healthy organism, we need to think about what level of power each individual has. On top of that, we want various roles to be adopted because there’s freedom to choose them, not because it’s the only option.
At the point that you feel the role you’re in no longer serves you, or if you start to feel hemmed in by it, that means you’re losing your choices – and this is important because you will be the most effective home educator you can be if you know it’s a choice!
Facilitating Choice
So the question becomes how can we facilitate the greatest freedom to choose given the various levels of power our children have?
A newborn has no power. They are literally dependent on your goodwill for survival, and how they will ultimately develop.
A few years later, your children start to take initiative. Your kids are starting to experiment with choices and sample their options, and part of what you’re doing is giving them input to limit or expand the choices they have and the roles they take in your family.
You want to encourage the search – you don’t want to limit their growth by developing a fixed view of who your children are.
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Help a homeschooler like you find more joy in the journey. Thanks!
