After she successfully intercepted a pass, my daughter’s opponent moaned, “It’s only because you’re so tall!”
Certainly, there are times when height is a great advantage. My children and I are all remarkably tall. We can reach high shelves; we have long strides when we walk and run; we buy pants with 34” inseams.
But, there are times when height matters not at all. When a peer jealousy whined, “you can only juggle that well because you’re tall!” my daughter was understandably frustrated. She had worked long hours to learn to juggle, and it has nothing to do with her height. She felt her effort was diminished when this peer dismissed her skill and explained it as an innate connection to her stature instead.
In her book, Swim Speed Secrets, Olympian Sheila Taormina emphasizes why her shorter stature didn’t prevent her success in swimming. “I am a fraction of an inch over 5 foot 2 inches in height, so my wingspan was not what put me on the Olympic team—it was the understanding of how to take information and make it work.” There are some things that aren’t really about height at all.
Height can be an excuse. We might tell ourselves we are “too short” or “too tall” to participate in certain types of activities. Really what we are saying is, “I would achieve what you manage to do if only some fundamental part of me was different.”
I have found people make these excuses about homeschooling. They imagine they lack the necessary characteristics to succeed.
“I would homeschool if…I had a background in mathematics.”
“I would homeschool if…I had been trained in education.”
“I would homeschool if…I had a spouse that was supportive.”
“I would homeschool if…I had children that would cooperate.”
The truth is, homeschooling isn’t just for certain people. These excuses aren’t valid. You can homeschool regardless of your background, training or previous life experiences.
Homeschooling isn’t just for tall people!
