One of the things I love about homeschooling is the ability to keep my kids little for just a little bit longer. I don’t mean little as in I never want them to grow up. I mean little as in young. I don’t want them to grow up faster than necessary. I don’t want grown-ups in tween-sized bodies.
I love that Emma is still young at heart. She isn’t worried about fashion or make-up or the latest hair style. She wears what she wants to wear, because it’s comfortable – not because of the name on the label.
She’s not worrying all day about who likes her or focusing on which boy she likes this week. She spends her free time coloring and reading and playing Crossy Roads on her phone. She’s not trying to be a grown-up in a little tween body.
Don’t Grow Up Too Fast!
I know that she has to grow up some time. I see her doing that little by little each day. She tells me I have no fashion sense. She wears almost the same size shoes as me. She crushes on the boys in One Direction and has a fangirl crush on the ballet soloist who danced the role of the Queen of Hearts in Alice last season.
The benefit of homeschooling, however, is I can control some of the ‘grown-up’ junk she’s exposed to. I had control over when she learned about the birds and the bees. I got to teach her when I deemed it the right time – not a video in a public school classroom because she’s a 5th grader.
[bctt tweet=”As homeschoolers, we are blessed to be able to let our kids be kids. Why rush to grow up so fast? http://wp.me/p4GLZE-1sD”]
While she has crushes on some of her big brother’s besties, she doesn’t have any pressure to have a boyfriend like some of her friends do. Oh, she comes home with stories about her friends and their ‘boyfriends.’ Her 11 and 12 year-old friends! That is not where tweens should be focused right now.
She still calls me to ask about movies her friends want to watch at playdates and sleepovers. She asks me to change the channel or radio station when she hears cuss words at a time when I know many tweens are saying those words themselves. Her little soul is sensitive to those things, and no one at home makes fun of her for that. I don’t know if the same would be true if she attended school.
I know that she will grow up sooner or later. I’m just thankful that homeschooling allows her to grow up at a slow-and-steady pace, because there isn’t as much outside pressure to do it too soon.
Other posts about parenting tweens:
10 Ways for Tweens to Make Money
How to Talk to Your Daughter About Puberty
Your turn:
Do you see the trend to grow up too fast? Do you see your homeschoolers holding on to their youth a little longer than their peers?
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Love reading this! My daughter is only one, but I plan on homeschooling her. This was just another reason to add to the plus side of homeschooling.
I considered homeschooling, but my toddler is already really social. I think he would love school. I really hate the corruption of high school and middle school though. It’s a lot to consider. #overthemoon
What a great outlook! Thanks for sharing at #overthemoon! Have a great week.
Thank you so much for the reminder, I love homeschooling my girl, I enjoy having mommy daughter time with her when we learn!
You have captured the spirit of a major reason we homeschool. We don’t want to shelter our kids forever, but we do want to extend their childhood a little and allow them the joys of growing up unmarred by burdensome knowledge of the evils in the world best saved for later.
My kids are really social, too. So, we are always on the lookout for ways to be “social” in our homeschool. Playdates, story time at the library, preschool tumbling classes, and a local mother’s club/MOPS group are great opportunities for little ones to socialize while still being educated at home.
My kids go to public school, and it IS harder to control what your kids are exposed to. We are virtually screen free at home, and that helps. But we haven’t reached the peer pressure stage yet. I’m trying to give them a solid foundation of self-confidence as insulation. I like that they’re exposed to a wide variety of kids in school . . . most of the time 🙂 Thanks for sharing this insightful post on Everything Kids.
This is so true. Love it! And love homeschooling! Thank you for joining the Faith Filled Parenting LinkUp.
Great article! Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday.
This is a great topic to discuss more openly and I agree with you on enjoying having them around as much as possible before they grow up. My 4 year-old is use to being around adults mostly because of homeschooling. I set up play dates and go out to the play ground to socialize with kids her age, but she tends to want to follow the bigger kids. Thank you for sharing this with the Thoughtful Spot and I look forward to reading your posts :)!
This is interesting! Would love to see your posts in the Practical Mondays Link Up:)
This was such a great read! Kids are only kids for such a short time, and I think it’s a wonderful thing to try and preserve that innocence for as long as possible. I remember when I was in high school, I rode the school bus with middle schoolers, and I heard 11 year olds talking about how they were having sex that weekend???!!!
It’s so sad the influences these kids have today, and that is a major reason I want to homeschool! <3
My 11-year-old daughter is nearly as tall as I am, wears women’s size 12 shoe, and has been in a bra for 2 years. Because she’s homeschooled she has the freedom to act her age and not have to match the expectations of outsiders. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of her education I pause to give thanks that she is still playing with dolls instead of makeup.
And my girl? She crushes on Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) and MacGuyver, Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan.
I love that part “no one makes fun of her for that”. I love the fact that my kids can be themselves rather than a clone of the public school kids or any kids. She’s comfortable being her and I encourage that. We are going into our 3rd year homeschooling this fall.