The following was written by our very own, Jean Hall:
This morning, my youngest son drove me to IHOP for breakfast. He’s still got his learner’s permit, and his parking skills are…shaky.
He pulled our big SUV frightfully close to the small car that had just parked seconds before, trapping the man inside and flustering my son (and yes, making me grab the door handle tightly and say “stop!” emphatically). We didn’t even get fully into the parking spot. After taking a deep breath, my son was able to slowly and carefully back up, straighten the wheel and then pull in a more comfortable and safe distance.
As we finished parking, I was able to see the face of the man next to us at the same instance he saw us – and we recognized each other as friends. His annoyed expression instantly turned to laughter. He said, “I was thinking, what is this? do you need practice parking? And then I realized..yes, you are practicing parking!” While he would’ve been annoyed at an adult for needing two attempts to park, he understood that we give grace to those just learning. We laugh about goof-ups and move on.
I’m thinking this is a great lesson for me in all homeschooling. Rather than get frustrated at my kids for goofing up, I will work on laughing and giving grace. Whatever they’re doing in my home under my tutoring is practice and they WILL do it badly sometimes. Until one day…they won’t.
Have a beautiful day homeschooling.
Blessings,
Jean
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