For a young child to speak out what he needs to say may be difficult at first because he does not have the vocabulary to speak up what he wishes to share. Later even as he builds up his words the parents continue to speak up on his behalf to teachers at school, at the doctor’s office, to sports coaches, and even to negotiate turns on the swing at the play ground with other kids.
While the parent does not mean to harm the child, indeed feels that he is protecting the child, this makes it difficult for the growing child to take responsibility of his feeling and express his own opinions. In homeschooling families, this may not happen quite as much. The primary reason for this is that in the home school classroom the child must speak up to his teacher / parent about his needs. This makes the child good at self advocacy as time and again the child is expected to share feelings, information and even general opinions about the situation that he is in.
The homeschool parent can also teach the child how to advocate better by asking him to be authentic and true to his inner feelings when describing what he feels. It is also a good idea to ensure that the homeschool student understands the difference between being aggressive and assertive when speaking about his wants and needs. This ensures that the child can tactfully and clearly explain his side of the story when speaking to people who don’t know him very well.
Most children are worried about how others perceive them. They want the adults in authority around them to like and approve of them. This can make a child hesitant to speak his mind. Since children learn best by imitating their parents, it is a good idea for the homeschooling parents to speak up honestly about their own needs when they talk to the children. As the children begin to understand that honesty is a good place to build trust for self advocacy, they will be able to share exactly how they feel in a diplomatic manner without hurting anyone else.
