A Little Privacy Please
We are one big happy family, but sometimes each child longs for “a little privacy please!” A first grader learning phonics and sounding out tough words may shut down if older siblings (who already read well) are nearby listening. Likewise, a fourth grader still struggling with math facts paired with a younger sibling who is a wiz at them may want to work on the facts solo.
A middle school student who needs to memorize and recite long Scripture passages may want a quiet place to share the memory work rather than right after little sister recites her one-line verse with great ease. And high school students? Oh my! Bible time and devotional topic discussions alone beg for a little seclusion! But in a home full of kiddos in earshot, how can you carve out a little privacy?
Pick Your Place
As far as respecting 1:1 teaching time, I have found logistics of where we do our Heart of Dakota teaching in our house makes a big difference. So, for my teaching time I prize the most and long to keep private (i.e. especially for devotionals we are doing, difficult math lessons I am teaching, oral narrations being given, Scripture memorization being said aloud to me, phonics lessons, etc.), I choose a quieter, private place, where I can shut the door. I just pick a place ahead of time and stick to it! Kiddos who can plan on a little privacy for times like these open up more, share their hearts more, and blossom in challenge areas if an audience watching!
Pick Your Time
I also choose an amount of time I can truly ‘get away.’ So, for example, I meet with Wyatt in the addition at the table or on the couch or on the chairs for our private times. I limit this to 30 minutes. I shut the doors, and if someone bursts in, I remind them this is my time with Wyatt, and I am unavailable. If they have questions, I don’t answer them unless they are an emergency. It also helps to have one of my private teaching times be early in the morning, while some of the kiddos are still sleeping. Or, vice versa, at night, while some of the kids are doing something else.
A Little House
A little house can still offer a little privacy! You just have to get creative! Carve out some special places here or there where you can. I once had a few little chairs with a lamp on a tiny table at the top of our stairs! The landing was fairly big, and it became a favorite area to find a little privacy. Our entryway was long and narrow, but one end of it became a great place for a little area rug and a few bean bag chairs and pillows. A corner nook in a living room, over-sized pillows and a reading light on a tidily made bed, a little desk tucked away in an unused space with a plant and lit candle – anywhere can become a special place to find a little privacy with a little creativity!
A Little Privacy Goes a Long Way
Short on time? Aren’t we all! I have found a little privacy goes a long way though. Really, there are two kinds of privacy. The kind where your child can depend on time alone, and the kind where your child can depend on time alone with you. Both are important! When kiddos look at their day, they should be able to count on time for both. They need not be long, they just need to be intentional and consistent. Look for ways to plan these two types of alone time into your days, and you’ll see they do wonders!
