Celebrate Accomplishments

As a child, my summers were filled with activities: Swim team, mission trips, sleepovers, summer camp, camping, travel, hanging out with friends, and--later--work. I'm guessing the same is true for your kids. Returning to school in the Fall was sometimes a shift to a more relaxed and dependable schedule. But I always found time to create. Homeschooling--with all the free time it gave me--was a perfect setup for establishing this habit.

Saturday morning I finally finished up a project I've been working on for a couple of years now. It's a 36-week free Filmmaking 101 course... and it's been a ton of work. But I'm stoked that it's finally all out there for the world to see and use.

What have your children been up to? Have they created anything cool lately? Have they accomplished a goal? Have they achieved something new?

One of potential drawbacks of accomplishment is the letdown that follows. After a flurry of activity, the quiet afterward can be disappointing. That's why it's so important to celebrate! If your child has just reached a new goal, make it official. Awards banquets are an excellent example of this: There's food, official praise, and often special awards on top of whatever accolades have already been earned. Sonlight's Instructor's Guides come with a special completion certificate for your school year, and I hope you share that with your children. Cast parties and launch parties are common forms of finalizing an effort. But the less formal projects and achievements can be easily overlooked. Please don't! Encourage your kids by rejoicing with them when they reach new heights.

Celebrate

My wife and I often go out for ice cream when we reach a new milestone. The party doesn't have to be big. Will you celebrate with me the completion of my project? A simple "huzzah" would be more than sufficient <smile>.

How do you celebrate accomplishment in your house? Anything we can join in applauding?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester