This week I read a
blog and a facebook comment that got me thinking about parenting decisions.
The essence was, "What's the right thing to do?"
I did a little research on-line and the consensus is that people make about 35,000 decisions a day. Not all of them are life changing but still that's a lot of deciding. Now, a lot of those decisions can be 'fixed' if I mess up. If I pick a bad restaurant - I don't go there again. If I make a friend who isn't friendly - I stop seeing them. If I hate my career - I can retrain and switch jobs.
But when the decisions I'm making are about my kids it ups the ante. There's no re-do. I won't really find out what mistakes I've made until it's too late to 'fix' them. And I certainly haven't set out to mess my kids up. I want them to have the best and most of what is available to them. Balancing all that with a sense of civic responsibility and morality of course.
Homeschooling was a big decision for us.
I
think it's the right decision. I
think we're doing it for the right reasons. I
think they will have lifelong benefits.
Does it
matter that it is right
er (yes I know that's not a real word) for one kid than the other? Does it
matter that part of the reason we do it is because
I like to teach them? Does it
matter that they are missing those 'normal' school experiences? I don't know.
BUT - I know that it doesn't matter enough right now to change our decision.
AND - The biggest part of what keeps me sane while I'm making these big decisions is knowing that
they can't have it all. And it's not my job to give it to them. They won't have me at home attending to them
and a role model of women in the workforce.
They won't have the most personalized education available
and a bevy of teachers who will inspire them.
They won't get to wander museums at their leisure mid-week
and go on classroom field trips.
Fifteen years down the road I guess we'll all find out how it turned out. And if they hug me and tell me it was the best years of their lives then I'll let out a big sigh of relief. And if they scowl and grumble and say I've deprived them of a 'normal' childhood then I'll apologize.
And tell them I tried my best.