My homeschooled kids are under the microscope

Not too long ago, it was cute when one of my kids mispronounced a word or failed to conjugate a verb correctly. I rarely corrected them because I felt their lack of language skills demonstrated a sweet sort of innocence that I wasn't ready to leave behind. I figured they have plenty of time to pour over grammar workbooks, diagram sentences (do people even do that anymore?) and ponder the use of a dangling participle.

That was before homeschooling.

Now, whether right or wrong, I feel a bit under the microscope when it comes to the way my children speak. When we're out and about during the day (when most kids are in school), many people stop to ask my children why they aren't in school or what they're doing at Target in the middle of a Wednesday. I tend to hold my breath and pray that they answer in complete, well-formed sentences. Most of the time, they do. Whew!

Now, saying "winned" instead of "won" isn't so much cute as it is a reflection on my teaching skills. True, this probably isn't the best way to approach my first year of homeschooling but all of these little mistakes leave me making mental notes at a furious pace. Should you open up my brain, you're sure to find a road map of red Sharpie scribbles and notes all designed to make tomorrow's homeschool day better.

Homeschooling has taught me that everything my kids do or say can be traced directly back to something I've taught them, or failed to teach them. That's really the essence of parenting, isn't it? Eventually, the responsibility for their words and actions will fall squarely and completely on their shoulders, but for now, I'm hyper-sensitive to each and every move they make. Exhausting? You bet. Worth it? Absolutely.