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What If I’m Messing Everything Up?

14 August 2010 5 Comments

We’ve all experienced it - the overwhelming fear, often in the middle of the night, that homeschooling will ruin our kids. The fear that we forgot to teach them something. That realization that no, we’re not perfect, not even close.

Here’s a trick to deal with homeschool fear and anxiety. When you feel it coming on, get out a piece of paper and write down all the things you appreciate.

The brain cannot simultaneously be anxious and appreciative. Other emotions can overlap fear and appreciation, but fear and appreciation can’t co-exist. It’s one or the other.

Fear is telling us something, sometimes. But it can also grip us into a downward spiral so we can’t see anything clearly. Consider the list of appreciation as a way to move away from overwhelming fear and anxiety, and to create space to explore where the fear was really coming from.

5 Comments »

Rana said:

I love this idea. Sometimes I feel this way too. Then I look at my kids and think about all that they have learned with out the confines of a school building and then I feel better about what we are doing.
Rana´s last blog ..90 Day Budget Boot Camp Challenge 6

# 14 August 2010 at 2:46 pm

Tracey - JustAnotherMommyBlog said:

Great idea! I also remind myself of everything I worried about when they WERE in public school. For us, the negatives of p.s. GREATLY outweigh the negatives of homeschool. That always makes me MUCH more relaxed!
Tracey - JustAnotherMommyBlog´s last blog ..Have I got a deal for you

# 15 August 2010 at 11:25 am

Jen said:

Thanks for the encouragement! It’s easy to get bogged down in the potential negatives, I need to remember to focus on the positives and remember why I decided to homeschool in the first place!
Jen´s last blog ..Week One

# 18 August 2010 at 12:54 pm

MadAboutPets said:

This is a common tip that psychologists give out actually when you’re feeling scared, angry, overwhelmed, etc. Just write it down! Getting it out of your head and on to paper is very cathartic, and a huge weight off your shoulders.
MadAboutPets´s last blog ..Madison cockfighting case dismissed

# 24 August 2010 at 9:40 am

DB said:

We all fear that our kids may not be getting a good education. However, looking at the most recent statistics it shows that home schooled kids tend to do much better on the SAT and ACT then their public school peers. This shows that the education we are giving our children works! Do not get distracted with the media telling you that you should send your kids to public school. Stay the course, remain strong, keep the goal of giving your kids an excellent eduction in sight.

We use http://www.foresttrailacademy for our school.

# 2 September 2010 at 4:44 pm