As this school year launches forward, we have the opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and where we really want to go. If COVID 19 hasn’t taught us a gazillion lessons, we may be completely unteachable! I am learning that I don’t always get to choose where I go in life or even who travels with me. Do you? Yet, we obviously and thankfully can choose how we respond. That is more important than any of our other choices. I want to think about what we ultimately want for our kids in 2020-21 and beyond. We want them to succeed in learning, growing, and making meaningful memories while becoming even more kind, capable people. We all want to move forward, not backward. We know that some lessons were hard-won, and we don’t want to lose ground.
So, we worry, push, complain, and sometimes make decisions rooted in fear.
Be encouraged! Do you realize that our children already have it in their DNA to excel at something? We each have a purpose for being here in this world. Pay attention to what your child loves. As we go into this next season, I want to tune in more to what my kids are doing and saying. I am searching for clues and looking for ways to help build on their natural inclinations, rather than trying to fit them into a box I created. Yes, even homeschool moms can revert to boxes when we are tired, worry, or fearful!
One of my favorite children’s books, Charlie the Tramp, illustrates this in a fun way. Charlie was born into a beaver’s family, following a long line of industrious beavers. Yet, for a time, Charlie decides that being a beaver is hard work and so he would rather be a tramp. Oh, the dismay of his family! Papa Beaver recounts the successful and happy past. Grandpa is shocked and withdraws his financial support. Poor Mama is convinced that Charlie doesn’t really mean it. Yet, he happily assures her, “Oh yes, I do want to be a tramp!”
In this delightful tale, we readily recognize the struggle we sometimes have with our own young people. In the end, given a little time and room to grow, Charlie ends up doing what all good beavers do. He surprised everyone with quality work that very much resembled his father and grandfather’s ponds. One night he is awakened with the tickling of a distant sound. Trickling water. He must stop that sound. Since it’s a beaver’s DNA to stop the sound of running water, Charlie couldn’t do anything else but build a dam to pool this water and form a beautiful pond. I admit, this simplistic story doesn’t account for the variations or twists and turns in our lives. But it does bring a whimsical smile as we instinctively know that our little “beavers” may one day up and walk away from convention. Yet assuredly…
we may still find them later fulfilling their God-given destiny, even if it’s with a personal flair that is all their own.
Let’s try to focus on the positives this fall season and the things that social distancing and COVID 19 cannot take away. Many of you have children who are at home following along with a virtual school program, or you have jumped into homeschooling like your neighbor, sister, or friend. Not your first choice. It’s okay. This is just a season. Relax and find the good in it, even if you have to dig deep. Give your kids room to grow even when it’s uncomfortable or hard. Link arms with an optimistic person who has time to listen and care. Reach out and don’t go it alone! You may find an unexpected gift in this opportunity. I know many courageous families who are navigating this time with wisdom and joy.
This is an invitation…come join our journey. I would love to connect!
