Everything that a homeschool parent does is with the end goal of improving the skills of their homeschooled student. There is constant effort made to shape and enhance the homeschool student. All improvements he needs to make are often pointed out in a bid to make him better. Unfortunately this constant correction can make the child wonder if there is any part of him that is without a fault. As the homeschooled child grows older and must leave the sheltered environment of the house, where he was protected all his life, on his own he will have a question to ask his parents.
“Will They Like Me?”
They would refer to just about anyone the homeschooler is likely to meet outside the house from fellow team mates on a football team to a prospective employee for a first job. The colleagues at an orchestra or even members of a local book club. It doesn’t matter who they are, the child will wonder if they will accept him. He will be worried that they too will only see and comment on all the aspects he is lacking in. He is wondering what the next person he meets outside the house is going to ask him to work on to improve.
Be More Accepting of Your Homeschool Student
By constantly letting your child know what he can improve, you are not doing him any good for his own self esteem. Even though he may work on each skill level you point out, he feels that he will never be good enough. He feels that he has too many faults to be considered as a bright child. It is not intentional but the parent actually managed to foster an inferiority complex in the homeschool student if he is not accepted and praised enough. This can be the cause of a number of problems as he tries to make his way in the big, bad world outside the home.
Even as you correct your child, make sure that he knows that he is appreciated. That he is accepted and loved for exactly who he is, and all the improvements are only suggested for his benefit.
