The pressure of being better....

[hipumpkins]

Do you sometimes feel pressure to prove that your kids are learning? When people ask me about homeschooling, even well meaning folk, I find myself drawing attention to what DD's knows and not so much focusing on her just plain old playing and being a kid.
My DD just turned 5 so she wouldn't actually be in K yet (cut off is Oct1 by us) but you know most kids go to preschool anyway.
My DD happens to love bats so we take out books on caves and just today did an experiment making stalactites/mites with salt and string but I sometimes feel like while it's cool she knows about echolocation (bats) and stalctites/mites I worry that I am introducing these concepts so I can say, "but look what she does know"
None of this is pressure for her she has loved bats since hearing the book , "Stellaluna" before she was even 2.
but mostly DD does not sit around learning about bats. Mostly she gets in trouble for being fresh, mostly she likes to play with her toys, mostly she likes to watch Mary Poppins. I am totally ok with all those things (well except the fresh part) but I worry about the questions and the quizzes she might get from other people.
I sometimes feel I have to prove something with homeschooling...do you?

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by hipumpkins

I sometimes feel I have to prove something with homeschooling...do you?

I used to, but I got over it.

I think it is pretty common for moms new to homeschooling, or those just starting out with younger kids.

[TEAK's Mom]

Yeah, I fight that pressure a lot. My dd1 is 5.5 and is of kindergarten age. She pretty much does her own thing and is genuinely thriving. She reads and plays constantly and learns so many cool things, even when what she is reading is "Calvin and Hobbes" comics.

I love the way we live and yet, I seem to point out the "schoolish" aspects more than I would like. I think I spend too much energy trying to make other people comfortable with my daughter's life.

So, just working on getting over it.