We are less than a month into our first year of homeschooling, and I am overwhelmed. My jobs as a household manager haven’t changed, and yet I’m adding in more focused instruction for Mr. Kindergarten and his brother. We are starting to get into our routine of outside activities as well
I admit that on occasion I’ve thought about how much easier it would be to put Mr. Kindergarten on the bus with all of the other kids in the neighborhood. That thought doesn’t last for long, as I know that we have chosen to homeschool for a reason. I don’t want to ignore the wrinkles in life that we can push aside when we are away from our family for most of the day. I don’t want to hand over his love of learning and hope that it survives intact.
I want my boys to learn how to manage a rich and diverse life of brain work, muscle work, maintenance work, relationships and downtime. To do that, I am learning too. My boys, who struggle at times with new concepts, get to watch me struggle to learn something new. I can be ashamed of the fact that I don’t have it all together, or I can stand strong in the fact that they are seeing first hand that learning never ends. I choose to stand strong.
I don’t know how to win against overwhelm. Yet. As we tackle the challenges of learning and life, the greatest gift I could give my children is to stand strong in the face of worthy challenges and to know how to adapt to changing demands. We will figure it out together. I know we will.
I also know that community is important. I am so thankful for Granite State Home Educators. Knowing that I’m not alone in my journey is an amazing gift. Seeing the wisdom of experienced home educators helps me keep the day to day in perspective, and in focus. I have been especially thankful for the support for homeschooling moms, and new homeschooling moms, posted in the Facebook group in recent weeks. What has made an impact for you?
by Erica Layon