Today I headed to the Geography Bee with my son. All the kids displayed their projects and then participated in a Geography Bee. I really don’t know why we don’t just hold these things for parents, since clearly the parents did A LOT of work on the displays. ( I did too- I’m not hatin’)
I realized a few things at this event.
Homeschool parents, for the most part, are overachievers. This isn’t a bad thing, but clearly we think we still have something to prove.
We put a lot of pressure on our kids to succeed in front of others. While those kids sat for the Bee you could see them looking at their parents continually for approval. I’m not saying non-homeschool parents don’t do the same, but it seemed stronger here.
All of us think we are not doing a great job. Why is this? The kids at this event seemed nice, well adjusted, and pretty darn smart. They answered some questions that would have stumped me and I like Geography!
I wish I had some insightful commentary for homeschool families but I don’t. I showed up with my plate of desserts purchased 30 minutes earlier from the grocery store. I felt guilty that I hadn’t whipped up a Pinterest worthy dessert to show off my baking skills.
My son had his shoes untied, possibly no socks, and a pair of pants that fit him better last year.
Part of this is that he only had five minutes to get ready, but part of it is that he’s 13 and just doesn’t care.
He’s a nice kid and he loves his family. My favorite part of the evening was our 20 minute late night dinner at Five Guys after the event was over. Just the two of us. It made the rest of the night worth it.
My husband has been deployed to the Middle East for 274 days. These are my real thoughts expressing my heart during his absence. I appreciate your prayers and kind words as we cope, adapt, and carry on without him until August 2014. To read from the beginning, click here.
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