Lately I have really been trying to honor my gut instinct and pay attention to what my body is telling me. I realized today what a blessing it is to be going through these growth opportunities and homeschooling at the same time. Luckily I have always been close with my kids. They can come to me with anything. I think a lot of this has to do with me being so available to them.

Recently my 12 year old came to me wanting to discuss his interest in healthier life choices. So we discussed nutrition, exercise, outside time, and sleep schedules. He was very excited to make some changes in his life. After a couple of days he came to me again and said that sometimes he gets sleepy during the day and wanted to know what he should do about that. It just so happens that he has also been going through some major growth spurts. So these were all great ways for me to discuss with him what I have been doing with regards to listening to my body. I think this is particularly important for kids to learn. So I told him if he feels sleepy during the day he should go rest.

This made me think how blessed I am to be able to homeschool my kids. Not only has it brought us closer, but it enables them to effectively deal with the growth challenges they face as kids. It is hard when your bones are growing and your body is changing. I love that they do not have to go to bed early and get up early, that they can rest during the day if they need to, that they can study during the day or the evening (whichever fits them best), and that I am available to them whenever they need to talk. I feel like this helps them understand what works best for them as their bodies are going through these changes. I am really thankful that there are so many options available both for people as individuals for personal growth and for parents for schooling purposes. My hope is that my kids find what works for them and not feel confined to someone else’s standards. That is my hope for all of us. What works for some might not work for everyone, we need to honor our uniqueness and our individualism and figure out what works best for ourselves.