Do or Do Not…There is No Try, Advice from Yoda

From the title you can probably guess I homeschool boys,  in fact I have 2 boys and a girl, and Star Wars is running theme in my house!  Lights sabers slashing against each other the battle of good and evil is fought out, the good side prevails and the princess is once again rescued.

Often I can hear my kids quoting the Jedi Master Yoda and yes my husband has joined in too.  I think he is in his glory right now, they love to build things, they love hockey (oh do they love hockey I get stat reports everyday…lol), and they love Star Wars.  A dad’s dream come true 🙂

Actually, truth be told I don’t mind it either.  Watching them play Star Wars, or hang out with their dad is an amazing privilege I get to indulge in daily.  It is both joyful and adorable (unless of course said light sabers get out of control) and it is also what has inspired me to write this post.

When one is considering to homeschool or not, there is so much research involved that it can start to overwhelm you!  Depending on how you process information, it can actually have you learning and researching so much you end up going in circles.  I  know this because I can tend to be that way.  I am a list maker extraordinaire!   I love making  traditional pro v.s. con lists, to the point I start to drive my poor husband crazy.

Looking back at all the research I did, I am glad I did it.  I met some great people, read some great research documents and learned things I have never heard of before;  however I also admittedly started to go in circles.   The lists I made and re-made started to take control.   The journals I tried to start in order to keep track of it all ended up pushed aside only to start another list.  I was armed with a pen and I knew how to use it, or at the very least how to drive everyone, including myself, nuts with it.

Making a list isn’t a bad thing but don’t let it take control of  your life.

Don’t get stuck in the planning and research and the “let’s try” phase.  It is a trap!

Do Homeschool, Don’t Just Try it.

Make a list if you have to, but make it clear and concise.   Break down the main points you will need to propel you forward in your choice or your decision making process to homeschool.   Some of these points of interest will probably include your local legal requirements (see HSLDA), some respectable research (again see HSLDA), where in your home you see yourselves working together, some resources and/or curriculum you would like to explore,  names and phone numbers of other homeschooling parents, and perhaps a start date.  Every list will be different for every family, these are just some ideas to get you rolling.

Now that you have started to complete your list, you can begin to make some homeschooling family goals!

Write them down, make them achievable and take action.

This may sound simple, but jumping into new water can be daunting.  It can be especially daunting if people around you are judging you harshly.  Keep the research you have done close at hand, especially any phone numbers or e-mail addresses of other homeschooling parents, it will help you to feel stronger when or if negative judgement comes your way.

Some advice I received when I was first looking into homeschooling was to just try it for a year…”just try homeschooling for a year and see how it goes”.   It isn’t bad advice really, however I would like to tweak that statement just a bit.

When we allow ourselves to say or think “try“, we are actually allowing ourselves more room for failure or opting out.   I don’t think we give whatever challenge we are facing, in this case starting to homeschool,  all the effort it requires if we are only going to try.   Invest yourself into the challenge which faces you so you can be sure you have a proper gauge of what it takes to succeed.

Think of business people, anyone you kn0w who has made a healthier lifestyle change, artists, professionals, athletes….think of anyone you know who is successful at whatever they chose to do.

Do you think they achieved their success by just merely trying and only investing a little of themselves?

Or do you think they gathered what they needed and just started?  Years ago, when I started homeschooling, I put my pen and lists away and just did it!  For me there was no try, I was all in.

My challenge for you is to DO homeschooling, really invest in you and your family, get right down to it and do homeschool.  You can still take it year by year, but don’t cheat yourself or your family by merely giving it a try.

Use the comment box below to let me know how you are doing, are you trying or doing?

 (I’m so grateful to be inspired everyday by my children and my family)