Good character and a strong family bond will take our kids far in life. However, children develop better character traits and families have stronger bonds when kids are not put into school at early ages.
But these things won’t just happen by virtue of keeping our kids home.
“Children allowed to take responsibility and given a serious part in the larger world are always superior to those merely permitted to play and be passive.”
Responsibility Builds Character
One of the things our kids won’t have in school is younger siblings to help care for. We want to teach our older kids to care for the younger ones.
Caring for younger siblings will teach our children many important things, and it will help us too.
The way our kids helps us is clear: they occupy the younger sibling’s time so we can do other things.
Our kids develop good character by caring for a younger sibling when they learn to be aware of other people’s needs instead of always focused on themselves.
Giving their time and energy to care for another person instills kindness and humility in our kids.
They also learn to stop what their doing when they need to help, and this teaches them to be more flexible in life because sometimes we have to shift gears when we aren’t quite ready to.
The way the younger siblings benefit, other than being amply cared for, is that they learn to see the older children as a role model and emulate their good behavior.
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
By learning to care for their younger siblings, we give our kids a childhood of opportunities to develop better character. Even science now confirms that good people are happier people.
(Aristotle is wondering why we had to research something he taught us centuries ago!)
Unbreakable Bonds
Another factor to consider is that families who spend more time together have stronger bonds. By keeping our children out of school, we foster stronger relationships between ourselves and our children.
In turn, each sibling fosters a stronger relationship with the other siblings.
The tendency today is for children to be influenced more by their peers than their own family. One of the reasons for this is that children spend too many waking hours with their peers in school.
When we keep our children out of school, we have plenty of time to foster the strong bonds that all tightly-knit families enjoy.
But when a child is sent off to school, he’s absent from the family. He spends less time at home and less time with his family. Naturally, over the years, his bond with his family grows weaker as his bond with his peers grows stronger.
Think of his younger brothers and sisters who stay behind while the older sibling goes off to school. The younger kids are used to playing with their older sibling, and they feel sad when they see him leave.
I remember going to school as a little girl and leaving behind a younger brother. He would cry when I left. We were never as close after I went to school as we were before I went to school.
What is more precious in life than a loving family? Members of a close-knit family will tell you how fortunate they feel to belong to such a family.
The rest of society can only wish they had a family that spent time together, enjoyed one another’s company, and gave each other the kind of support that carries one through life.
The truth is that children don’t need to go to school at early ages. Everything they need when they’re young is contained in the arms of a loving home.
Math and reading can wait because it is a myth that kids will get behind if they start school later.
And besides, you can always teach them at home.
“I feel ashamed that so many of us cannot imagine a better way to do things than locking children up all day in cells instead of letting them grow up knowing their families, mingling with the world, assuming real obligations, striving to be independent and self-reliant and free.”
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Elizabeth Y. Hanson is an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and a Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach with 20+ years of experience working in children’s education.
Utilizing her unusual skill set, Elizabeth has developed a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child. She devotes her time to helping parents get it right.
She is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.
☞ Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.☞ Disclaimer: This is not a politically-correct blog.
