Down with the Killjoy

My son once said to me, “I want to be homeschooled,” imagining his cousins’ lives and what being home all day would be like.

I laughed at the time. “You do NOT want to be homeschooled (by me anyway). Trust me.” Even though I remember playing school in first grade, writing on a miniature chalkboard with my friend Campbell. Even though I taught college classes for years and imagined myself having a classroom with colorful posters and desks I could arrange in rows every September. I would not be patient enough. I would have organized the process, my son’s time, the teaching, to no end, until I took the very life out of it.

I could do it now. But my son is 22. I couldn't have done it then.

To all those parents trying to move your kids' education forward...I salute you. This opportunity is rich with potential for grace.

As Pema Chodron says, “This earnestness, the seriousness about everything in our lives...this goal oriented, we’re going to do it or else attitude, is the world’s greatest killjoy. There’s no sense of appreciation because we’re so solemn about everything. In contrast, a joyful mind is very ordinary and relaxed. So, lighten up. Don’t make such a big deal.”

Bring joy to it. Easy does it. Carry on with a light heart.