{"id":64430,"date":"2023-05-16T09:06:19","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T13:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/?p=64430"},"modified":"2026-02-11T11:43:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:43:09","slug":"push-my-hesitant-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/push-my-hesitant-child\/","title":{"rendered":"How hard do I push my hesitant child?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/push-my-hesitant-child\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-64439\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/child-g00aaa30d4_1920-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"push my hesitant child\" width=\"675\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/child-g00aaa30d4_1920-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/child-g00aaa30d4_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/child-g00aaa30d4_1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/child-g00aaa30d4_1920-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/child-g00aaa30d4_1920-1248x832.jpg 1248w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/child-g00aaa30d4_1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>How hard do I push my hesitant child? ~\u00a0<\/em><em>Written by <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/karipatterson.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kari Patterson<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>As I typed this title tears sprang to my eyes.\u00a0<em>Wow, what a journey it&#8217;s been<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>If I had to sum up what it&#8217;s been <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/homeschool-a-child-with-aspergers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">like the last 16 years with an Asperger&#8217;s child<\/a><\/strong>, this question is what comes to mind. <strong><em>How hard do I push my hesitant child?<\/em><\/strong> I&#8217;ve erred on both sides of pushing &#8212; too much, not enough &#8212; at times, so I write this not as someone who&#8217;s nailed it, but as someone who&#8217;s experimented a lot and has a few thoughts to share.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I remember when Dutch was a toddler we joked that his favorite thing to do was <em>whatever he was already doing<\/em>.<\/strong> It didn&#8217;t matter what, he just didn&#8217;t want to\u00a0do<em> something else<\/em>. Even now, we joke that he&#8217;s a bit of a hobbit &#8212; he loves home, favorite foods, familiar comforts, he even has wide, flat feet.<\/p>\n<p>Years ago I talked to a seasoned mom who had raised an Asperger&#8217;s son. She said she would&#8217;ve pushed him a little more to try new things like sending him into the store by himself to buy milk. Her son is grown and thriving, so obviously it wasn&#8217;t detrimental to his development, but I appreciate her honest reflection.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve constantly felt this tension. <strong>The very thing I love about homeschooling is the gentle, unhurried pace<\/strong>. But I also love that it affords me the freedom to do <em>whatever is best for my unique child<\/em>, and some children do indeed need a little nudge.<\/p>\n<h2>How hard do I push my hesitant child?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Let&#8217;s look at three questions to help guide: To push or not to push?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-64440\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Dutch-and-Mommy-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"675\" height=\"458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Dutch-and-Mommy-1.jpg 615w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Dutch-and-Mommy-1-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Is my own unhealthy fear motivating this push?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There is healthy fear, of course: Will I overindulge his timid tendencies in such a way that he&#8217;ll be unprepared for real life? Will I push too hard in such a way that he&#8217;s scarred and therefore equally unprepared for real life?<\/p>\n<p>I think a touch of that is healthy. <strong>We recognize the weight of our responsibility as parents.<\/strong> We&#8217;re not flippant.<\/p>\n<p>Unhealthy fears come into play when we&#8217;re worrying about what other people think,\u00a0 trying to make our children into something that satisfies our own egos, constantly trying to keep up with so-and-so&#8217;s kids, and thinking our children&#8217;s performance is some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.karipatterson.com\/because-the-world-isnt-your-report-card-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sort of report card<\/a> that proves we&#8217;re doing well as homeschool parents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0The question is: What&#8217;s best <em>for him<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Is it something in line with how he or she is already wired?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I see healthy parental pushing as the strategic placement of pressure in order to empower a child to do what you&#8217;re pretty sure they&#8217;ll <em>end up loving<\/em>. Of course &#8220;pretty sure&#8221; is the key. <strong>This whole parenting thing is a risk from start to finish.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Over the years we&#8217;ve watched Dutch closely and tried to nudge his natural gifts<\/strong>. Piano and baseball were early ones that we thought he&#8217;d love. Alas, he did not.<\/p>\n<p>When he was young I made him go outside every single day for a nature walk, Charlotte Mason style, and he hated it. But at 12 we enrolled him in a school for homeschool teens, which was a huge step as he&#8217;d never learned away from home. <strong>He LOVED it and is still going strong.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This year we encouraged him to run Cross-Country at our local high school. This was a huge stretch for him, and at first he decided he didn&#8217;t want to, but the coach wrote him an email that inspired him, he agreed to run and ended up loving it.\u00a0 Now he&#8217;s running track as well and plans to do both through his high school career.<\/p>\n<p><strong>He&#8217;s looking forward to college and handles most new situations with confidence.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-64441\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/ducth-1024x662.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"675\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/ducth-1024x662.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/ducth-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/ducth-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/ducth.jpg 1529w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Am I willing to stay close when he struggles through the push?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Helping a reluctant child try something new requires a lot of us as parents. Honestly, it&#8217;s often easier\u00a0<em>not<\/em> to try the new thing, whatever it is. Just last week there were two separate instances where I needed to push our older two kids a bit. It meant a significant time commitment for me in both situations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As a parent, I need to be ready to absorb the time and emotional cost of being beside them and helping them navigate that hard thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In my instance, it was so worth it! They both passed the &#8220;test&#8221; of the situation with flying colors and felt <em>more<\/em> confident and encouraged as a result of doing the hard thing.<\/p>\n<p>Oh friends, I&#8217;ve done this poorly\u00a0<em>so many times<\/em>. But I&#8217;m also so grateful for the times these nudges have been exactly what our kids have needed. You may not like the word\u00a0<em>push<\/em>. <strong>Feel free to term it however you&#8217;re comfortable &#8212; a nudge, a strong encouragement, a joyful steady force.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whatever we call it, let&#8217;s help our hesitant children be all they can be!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/push-my-hesitant-child\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-64442\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/4-habits-that-help-our-homeschool-in-busy-seasons-3-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"push my hesitant child\" width=\"467\" height=\"701\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/4-habits-that-help-our-homeschool-in-busy-seasons-3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/4-habits-that-help-our-homeschool-in-busy-seasons-3-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/4-habits-that-help-our-homeschool-in-busy-seasons-3-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/4-habits-that-help-our-homeschool-in-busy-seasons-3.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What&#8217;s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie&#8217;s quiz now<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your type needs most!<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How hard do I push my hesitant child? ~\u00a0Written by Kari Patterson As I typed this title tears sprang to my eyes.\u00a0Wow, what a journey it&#8217;s been. If I had to sum up what it&#8217;s been like the last 16 years with an Asperger&#8217;s child, this question is what comes to mind. How hard do&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":64439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[331,342,329,26,352],"tags":[112],"class_list":["post-64430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curriculum-resources","category-home-relationships","category-learning-curriculum","category-relationships","category-special-needs","tag-special-needs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How hard do I push my hesitant child? 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