A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Have you heard that children will happily entertain themselves if you leave them in their boredom?

More often than not, kids left alone will simply wander the halls of their homes like nomads and eventually turn on the TV.

Boredom is a state of “lacking vision.”

A child doesn’t know what resources are available or that they are allowed to use. They don’t have a partner, haven’t got a good grasp of how much time they can dedicate to the “thing,” and don’t know if they start a project that they’ll be allowed to leave the mess until they finish. They’re afraid of doing a bad job.

You can reverse this particular curse by being the one who:

• strews good stuff in their wake,
• supports brainstorming,
• and stays patient if it takes a while.

For example, you can set out the art materials and let them decide if the supplies feel like the right thing for today.

Boredom is not a virtue and it’s especially not meant to be punishment for not having an endless well of creativity. ALL of us need help to get out of the doldrums. Be that kind support while they sort through it!

If none of the ideas work, you can recommend “time to think” activities like:

• eating a snack (protein!),
• taking a bath,
• walking around the backyard,
• or petting the dog.

Sometimes kids need something to do while they are thinking of what to do next.

This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!

I believe in homeschooling. It’s one decision I made that I don’t regret for my children.

That said, there are kids who regret being homeschooled. What I’ve noticed when I talk to them is that the system of parenting created pain and the parents did not acknowledge that. They persisted in an ideology rather than attuning to their children.

I also know kids who suffered in traditional school environments. I know children who regret going to school where they were unable to keep up or participate at the level they wanted to because their family lives were such a wreck.

The Lens of Your Relationship

Your children will interpret their childhood through the lens of your relationship to them more than the educational choice you make for them.

Give them the gift of a great home life. Put your relationship with your child first.

Education and all good things flow from that.

Balancing Being a Parent and a Teacher

Timing is everything! It’s better to NOT teach ancient history to your third grader who isn’t yet interested than to build resentment that your child won’t cooperate with your lesson plan.

You don’t have to teach everything today, or tomorrow, or even next week!

In fact, you can put off a subject for a semester until you find the right spark to make it interesting. Your biggest task is to ignite interest.

If your child isn’t ready, adding pressure doesn’t improve the child’s chance of “getting it.” Sometimes a little mindful neglect of a school subject is just good sense and teaching!

You’ve got time to circle back.

In the meantime, figure out what about the topic IS interesting and put some of your own energy there. It’s amazing how much adult fascination can trigger interest in kids.

This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!

I was the play-acting, lit-loving, history buff in school. No way did I feel confident enough to teach SCIENCE to my kids! Why trust me with that huge task?

Well it turns out that when your own school education failed you, you get a second shot at it when you have kids to home educate!

I healed my own sour relationship with the subject of “science” by becoming interested in it as though I knew nothing about it. I looked for tools and kits and experiments and explanations that I needed when I was a child so that my kids would have a better shot at liking and learning science than I did. It worked!

You can change how you see any subject that you supposedly “hate.” As it turns out: the subjects are all utterly fascinating.

A Fresh Attitude

It’s the method of teaching that likely turned you off.

Now you get the chance to approach that subject with a fresh attitude of curiosity. That attitude can spark a lot of learning and a little love too!

When we studied geology, I found these incredible rock kits from the Ring of Fire program (founder now retired so no longer available). But look at it!

A fish tackle kit with rocks, a jeweler’s loupe for close study, and a booklet of amazing activities to help us get to know the beauty and wonder of rocks.

Of ROCKS!

Yes, it’s possible to even heal your sad educational history with rocks.

Today so many incredible programs and activities in every subject exist for homeschoolers. Go on the journey and find something that inspires you because then you have a better shot at inspiring your kids.

This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!

You might think you’re wasting time when you invest in one thing—one subject, one task, one idea, one skill—at a time.

But I’m here to tell you that you inadvertently waste a lot of time trying to do too many things at once.

You have time!

In fact, if you accomplish one thing well, it will provide momentum to do more things well. If you only do a lot of things poorly, you always feel behind, in a rush and like you’re not doing anything productive.

This week invest in depth rather than breadth (ALL THE THINGS). Stick with something long enough to”get it”—why it’s cool, useful, interesting, provocative.

Follow the rabbit trail, be much more curious about what your kids need to understand in order for this experience, this lesson to be meaningful to them.

Need more help?

• Listen to my podcast.
• Buy my books.
• Shop for our curriculum.

Everything we produce is meant to help you do the things you want to do well and with depth.

I believe in you!! Rooting for you big time!

This post was originally shared on Instagram.
Watch the accompanying reel for more.