Can I shelter my child too much?

Recently, I sat down with Awaken Team member, Beckie Simkins, to record a podcast episode regarding common homeschool fears. One of the items mentioned was the fear that our children will be too sheltered.

Yes, it is possible to shelter our children too much.

But let us not neglect the importance of Protecting Childhood Innocence. This doesn’t mean avoiding hard conversations as life circumstances dictate. But it allows kids not to carry burdens that are too heavy for them, physically, emotionally or mentally.

In the homeschool realm, there are those to whom sheltering means the removal of all hard topics and tasks. Or it means never acknowledging the role of sin on the earth and in human beings. This is not helpful and does not allow us to develop and disciple healthy citizens of the Kingdom. As parents, we can shelter and defend, but we must also Prepare our children with truth, wisdom and the ability to withstand whatever life throws at them.

What are appropriate things to shelter our children from? Is it important to shelter our children from toxic relationships? Yes. Setting healthy boundaries is so important. But homeschool families, while outwardly espousing conservative values, may have difficulties in the home with porn, addiction, teen pregnancy, abuse of various sorts, divorce, etc. No one is immune from sin. Homeschool is not a pass from the hard realities of life. Sin happens. Let us learn to effectively communicate with ourselves, our children, our church and homeschool communities about it.

The fear of over sheltering is possibly attached to our fear of our children being socially awkward, too naive, unaware of the life happening around them and unable to cope with “life in the real world”. My experience has been that this is not a “normal” homeschool experience. Many families seek out opportunities to be in community, to be social, to have experiences that will enhance their child’s appreciation and respect for the world. It is hard work to learn and communicate effectively with others who have different opinions, but it is possible. We can continue to show consideration and courtesy to those who have embraced a different worldview, ideology, politics or religion, etc. As with all things, it depends on the parent to provide opportunities that will broaden a student’s perspective of the world through books, community and opportunities.

Listen to more of our thoughts on this podcast Fears Series: Socially Awkward… - Venture Homeschooling Podcast - Apple Podcasts