Homeschool Diligence: part 1 of 3 Diagnosing Laziness

 Ouch.  Even the word is painful.  We love our children, how can we label our children with such a sinful sounding word?  What if it isn’t laziness in our child and there are other issues?  Aren’t we all guilty of this at some time or another?  How can we attend to this issue in our children when we struggle with it ourselves? I’ll answer these questions backwards – last to first.

 

How can we attend to this issue in our children when we struggle with it ourselves?

Do people who struggle financially work and strive for something better for their children?  Yes.  Is it possible that your child, due to your efforts, can achieve heights greater than you did?  Yes.  Does this apply to virtue?  Yes.  Are our children worth the effort? Yes.

 Aren’t we all guilty of this at some time or another?

Yes. That doesn’t mean we should allow our children to be less than they are capable of because, from our own experience, we see the same in ourselves.  We must strive for the good in our children with at least the same effort, if not more, than we strive to better ourselves – all at the same time.

 What if it isn’t laziness in our child and there are other issues? 

That must be the first thing we look at.  Is our expectation of the child reasonable?  I had a 2nd grader who could do grammar with her hands tied behind her back with almost no teaching required on my part.  I've had a 4th grader who couldn't find a noun if it was the only word on the page no matter how much I taught her. 

·           Everyone has natural strengths and weaknesses that are not laziness.  We should utilize our children’s strengths while working on their weaknesses in a way that doesn't discourage the child. 

·           If your teaching style isn't your child’s learning style, you’ll have to make accommodations for your child’s needs – this is the primary responsibility in parenting and teaching in the home.

·           If your child has behavioral, medical or learning disabilities these all must be taken into account where your expectation of them is concerned.  It also must be considered when choosing curriculum and executing activities.

If you've looked at all the above issues and either discarded them as inapplicable or attended to them, often you’re left with laziness.  My child just doesn't want to do the work and so isn't.

 We love our children, how can we label our children with such a sinful sounding word?

 It just sounds…yucky.  Cancer doesn't go away because you ignore it.  My dad died of colon cancer 5 years after he started having symptoms because he didn't want to admit there was a problem.  Not that your child will die from laziness, but it won’t go away or get better because you make it sound nicer.  It is what it is.  Because you love your child more than life itself, you’re willing to wipe their bottom and their snotty faces and look at what they need – pleasant or not – and provide for them.

What is an environment that will provide for the laziness to retreat while diligence takes its place?

You’ll have to read the next article entitled 
      Diligence versus Laziness in your homeschooler & Battle for Diligence in your family