You know who gets all my love and respect today? YOU. You– the mom who had to decide to do something new this year for school.
Maybe you’ve had a kid in public school and something just isn’t working. Maybe you feel like your child is falling through the cracks. Maybe they are bending to peer pressures that have you legitimately concerned for their mental health or physical safety. Maybe they need something the public school just can’t give them. And now you know. It’s time for a change.
Maybe they’ve been in a private school and something just isn’t working. Your family can’t afford the fees or you’ve lost faith in the leadership or your child needs something they just can’t get in the small private school environment. Maybe you think they’re ready to soar in a new environment, but they need a little push out of the security of that private school nest. And now you know. It’s time for a change.
Maybe you’ve been homeschooling and something just isn’t working. There are services they need beyond what you can provide or you think they’re ready for a classroom experience or the dynamics between you and your child aren’t healthy. Maybe you’ve exhausted your resources and as much as you hate to admit it, they need a teacher during the day and a mother when they get home. And now you know. It’s time for a change.
I think we envision that each year we will make school decisions based on what is exactly right for each child. But we are people too. And sometimes we have to make decisions based on what is right not just for that child, but for the whole family. Work schedules, health needs, and family dynamics can all play a part in what is best for us as a whole, as a family unit.
I remember when I thought I would be a homeschooling mom. And then one day I found out I was pregnant and would have a Kindergartener, and two 2-year-olds when I welcomed home a new baby. And I knew. There was no way I was going to be able to homeschool the way I wanted to. It was a grief to let go of that dream, but looking back on it today as I sent the child that would have been a newborn that year off to 2nd grade along with his 7th grade, 5th grade, 4th grade and Kindergarten siblings, I know it was the right thing to do. They have flourished in that environment and our family has been blessed because of it.
It’s so hard to let go of our ideas of how things should be in order to embrace them as they are. Schooling choice can feel so heavy and once you’ve committed to a certain path, it can feel like betrayal or quitting to try something new.
Which is why I’m feeling today for the moms who DID IT. They made a change even though it was hard to think through a new reality– new schedules, new routines, new teacher, new restrictions on their time or plans. They may have had to leave a community of parents they loved– people who had become friends over the years– and they’re now experiencing the uncertainty of not just their child making new friends, but having to navigate new relationships themselves.
I’d love to give each of you a hug as you do something brave today and as you encourage and equip your kids to do something brave too. It may not be what your neighbor, sister, or friend from church is doing and that’s okay! You aren’t parenting their kids. They aren’t living with your family dynamics. You have to do what’s right for your kids and right for you, even when it’s hard. Even when it’s a change.
And I’m proud of you.