​

Hi Reader!

I wanted to share a quick update and make things easier for you.

I’ve simplified the registration process for our upcoming webinar, Rethinking Independence: Why Motivation Grows Through Interdependence.

👉 The link now takes you directly to the Zoom registration page.​
This helps ensure everyone receives the secure Zoom link and the replay.
​Click Here to register on ZOOM​

A couple of important notes:

• Members still need to register in order to receive the Zoom link.
• If you already signed up using the original link, you’ll still need to register through the Zoom page so Zoom can send you the access details.

I know that’s one extra step, but it helps everything run smoothly and keeps the link secure.

I’m really looking forward to this conversation with Dan. Independence and motivation are such tender topics for parents, and my hope is that this session brings clarity, relief, and practical insight you can actually use in your homeschool.

✨ You’re also very welcome to submit questions ahead of time.​
If this topic has been a sticking point for your family, send your questions my way—I do my best to leave space at the end of our time together for Q&A. Just hit reply and ask away!

Thanks for your flexibility, and for being here. I’m glad we get to have these conversations together.

Warmly,
Michelle
​

Many of us are taught the goal of education is help our kids become independent.

Independent learners.
Independent workers.
Independent thinkers.

And like a lot of parents, I quietly measured how things were going by one question:
​Can my child do this on their own?

What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was working with an incomplete picture of what independence actually requires.

Here are three shifts in understanding that changed everything for me — both in how I supported my kids and how much tension I carried as a parent.

1. What we often think independence is:​
If a child isn’t motivated, they need more pressure.

What I learned along the way:​
Motivation doesn’t disappear because kids don’t care — it often shuts down when their nervous system is overwhelmed. When kids feel unsure, dysregulated, or stuck, effort becomes inaccessible.

The work wasn’t to push motivation back online — it was to create the conditions where it could show up again.

Motivation grows when kids feel supported enough to engage, not pressured enough to comply.

2. What we often think independence is:​
Kids learn independence by being pushed to do things on their own sooner rather than later.

What I learned along the way:​
When independence is pushed before the right skills are in place, it can actually backfire. Instead of confidence, kids can develop anxiety, avoidance, or the belief that they “just aren’t good at learning.”

I saw how quickly pressure could turn into power struggles — and how those struggles quietly shaped how kids saw themselves.

Independence isn’t built through urgency. It’s built through readiness and trust.

3. What we often think independence is:​
Needing help means a child isn’t capable yet.

What I learned along the way:​
Healthy learning depends on interdependence — knowing what you can do, recognizing when you need support, and learning how to use that support well.

That’s not dependence.
That’s a life skill.

Kids don’t become independent by being left alone. They become independent by internalizing the support they’ve practiced with.

Support, when used well, doesn’t weaken independence — it builds it.

This is what I’ll be unpacking in my upcoming live webinar with licensed mental health counselor Dan Marcone -
Tuesday, January 27th at 5pm!

Rethinking Independence: Why Motivation Grows Through Interdependence

We’ll talk about:

• why kids struggle with independent work (even when they’re capable)
• how pushing independence too soon can impact confidence, learning, and your relationship
• what interdependence really means in healthy development
• and how to support independence in ways that actually work — especially when you’re juggling multiple kids

✨ Come ready to understand why independence often breaks down — and learn how to support motivation and confidence through healthy, skill-building support.

👉 Click here to save your spot​

If independence has felt like a constant tension in your homeschool, I think this conversation will feel grounding and relieving.
​
Can't wait to dive into this conversation!

Your Friend,

​