Homeschool Thursday: Trust

As we jogged down the hill beside my 2 yr. old coasting on his new balance bike, my friend commented on what a daring parent I was, adding that his own mother would surely be having a heart attack about now.  He may have been hinting at my tendency toward benign neglect, but I like to think really he was noticing how much I trust my children.

That got me thinking.  Do homeschoolers (generally speaking) have more trust in their children, and if so, which came first?  Did I choose to homeschool because I have trusted from the beginning that they will learn what they need to know?  Or, is this faith in their abilities (and my subsequent peace with toddlers racing about on 2 wheels) a result of countless hours spent observing and learning, realizing each child's personality and capabilities?  I imagine it must be a bit of both.

When Wylie was just barely 2 yrs old we moved into our house.  Juniper was 2 weeks old.  We had moved from a small cabin that had a ladder to a sleeping loft, which Wylie climbed quite well, but he had very little experience with stairs.  I remember sitting on the couch, newborn at the breast, and a toddling Wylie attempting his first down stairs trek solo.  I'm sure I sang out in an un-alarming voice (no need to scare the child now that its too late) "hold the rail tightly, walk slowly, watch your feet..." what I do remember is that at one point, heart in throat, I decided it was best to look away.  He had no doubt he could do this. He had not asked for help or even hesitated at the top.  And so, still coaching, I looked away and waited to hear his little feet slap the floor and patter toward me.  Safe.

So, we plunge on, homeschooling, two-wheeling, swimming, climbing (higher and higher every day), looking away when we must, but trusting all the while that our children will do what they set out to do.