Learning with Life

Homeschooling can be hard some days.  Now that I think about it, life is hard some days.

How are you supposed to sit down and teach your kids when you’ve got a to-do list more than a mile long?

I’ve learned many things over these years of homeschooling. One of those things, is that Mom has to be present. That’s a lot of pressure.

Mom has to be present physically as well as emotionally and spiritually. If she’s not, it affects the homeschooling day, at least it does for me.

So what are you supposed to do?

I learned early, when my kids were young, that I needed my own time. I needed to feel like I wasn’t in a hectic rush. I needed to feel wholeheartedly, 100% present to teach, be patient, and answer questions.

There will be days when you have to say, “No, school today. We have other things we need to do.”

It doesn’t matter what it is, running errands, cleaning the house, church work, helping others, etc., it just needs to be done.  And you know what? The kids can help. 

They’ll learn from it too. They’ll learn how to cope with a long to do list, by watching you.  They’ll learn how to prioritize, how to deal with people, etc.

You are not a failure when you can’t keep up with your well-intentioned homeschool schedule.

Most times, kids will learn about life, just by being with you, and doing things with you.

So, go ahead, put the regular schedule aside for today. Tackle that to-do list with the kids. Talk it through with them, let them know what needs to be done. 

Things will be better tomorrow. I promise.