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Managing Your Thoughts About School So You Don't Lose Your Mind

Catholic Mom Calm

Release Date: 08/06/2026

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Almost everything you believe about your kids' schooling is an opinion, not a fact — and most of those opinions are quietly manufacturing stress in your body. In this episode, I walk you through why your feelings about school come from your thinking, how I choose school for my six kids with detachment (we're doing three different things this year), and the one trick I use to stop emotionally processing problems that haven't happened yet.

Whether you've got toddlers, a struggling nine-year-old, or a high schooler who bit off more than she can chew, I want you to notice how you're showing up — because the more stressed you are about their education, the worse you show up for them. I'll show you how to trade the tightness for problem-solving energy, hope, and peace. Sterling Jaquith.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Why "well-educated" is impossible to define — and how AI is about to make general knowledge plus the ability to ask good questions matter more than the drills we stress over
  • The difference between thoughts that just feel good ("my kid speaks Spanish!") and thoughts that are actually true
  • How to sit in the discomfort of watching your child struggle without deciding something has gone wrong
  • My favorite trick: refusing to emotionally process a made-up future problem (yes, even the diocese one)
  • How to tell yourself the best possible story about whatever schooling you've chosen — including reframing public school as mission territory

EPISODE TIMELINE:

(estimated — confirm against audio)

[00:00] – Why I finally made an episode about school, and the guilt episode I'll link for homeschoolers
[06:00] – Your feelings about school come from your thinking, and "well-educated" can't be defined
[13:00] – How AI changes education, the Roman Empire example, and feel-good thoughts vs. true ones
[20:00] – Choosing school with detachment: my six kids, three different approaches this year
[27:00] – The struggling-in-math example, and coaching a mom worried her high achiever over-committed
[34:00] – "I'll process it if it happens," modeling peace, and reframing public school as mission territory

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