Biking, Ballet, and Homeschooling Muscles

On my way to ballet class, I was listening to my daughter and her friend discuss their newly acquired skill: bike riding.  They talked about it seeming really difficult at first. It seemed to them that they needed to remember almost more than they could hold in their minds at once. They were worried about balancing, they needed to continue to pedal fast enough to stay up, AND they needed to steer.

When you teach children to ride a bike, you see how their focus shifts from one skill to the other. You want to tell them that someday they will do these things almost by instinct. And sometimes you do tell them that. My daughter struggled to believe this could be so - that riding a bike could seem as easy as getting dressed, something that takes no consideration of the mechanics involved, anymore.

My daughter and her friend agreed that now they have the hang of it, it seems easy, and a lot more fun. I told them this was like ballet. At first, it seems impossible to hold in one's mind the steps, plus all the how-to's like pulling up your stomach, lifting your chin, and keeping your knees straight and toes pointed. But with practice, the how-to's become habit and your mind is free to master harder and harder steps. And so while it is harder, it also becomes so much more fun. They liked this comparison. I think they felt a bit excited by the idea that dancing could feel as free as bike riding.

But, for what else is this principle true? Well, you've probably already guessed from this post's title, AND from the fact that I'm including this experience on a homeschool blog that the same is true of homeschooling. Hooray!

At first, homeschooling seems like adding to the great juggling act of motherhood - adding educational needs to the balls you are already keeping in the air: a clean home, a stocked fridge, healthy meals, clean laundry, energy to be emotionally available, etc. etc. etc. It can feel like there really is too much to do and do any of it well. BUT, after a little practice, you find the groove. You find what works for you and your kids, and you and your kids together.

If you aren't to a moment of free elation yet, it will come. And then it will pass as you try the next step - try riding without holding on to the handle bars. But don't give up. The muscle memory for biking, for ballet, and for homeschooling takes time to build. But day by day you are building it. And please share on this blog that first excited moment when you let go and RIDE!