Our state requires homeschoolers to keep progress reports in our files, so yesterday I used Homeschool Tracker , to easily create one for each of my children.  I was surprised by their grades.  They didn’t seem to be doing as well as I wanted and I thought that their grades would reflect my fears.  However, I was mistaken.  According to their grades, all A’s and B’s, they are doing fine.  I’m not a big advocate of testing or grades, and I could use a pass/fail system, but I want to prepare them for the colleges that use a grading system to determine the mastery of materials.  I often feel like we are not doing so well when we hit areas that seem difficult for them. What I expect from my children may be unrealistic for their ages.  I fall into the trap of comparing them to others, a topic of which I had written about earlier.  I read about kids who seem brilliant; reading at an early age, math whizzes, geography bee winners, being able to recall all matter of information at the drop of a hat, mini-Mozarts, and all sorts of other outstanding achievements. I wonder what we can do to achieve those same things. Then I stop and realize that they have gifts that may not be as visible as academic success. For the most part they do their best.  They are tender and kindhearted. The things that they are interested in they know inside and out.  They seem to be learning what they need to know to function in this world and they know the most important thing of all, of God’s love.  So, perhaps my focus should be less on what I consider what they aren’t doing and more on what they are doing and find a balance between the two.  This will probably more accurately give me a true progress report.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."