It's Just Me

It's hard for me to talk about "how home schooling is going." I know, it's surprising that it's hard for me to talk about anything! But what I mean is that it's hard to articulate the amazing changes in my family since we've brought our children home for their education.

I think the first reason is that you'd really have to know my children well, know my family life intimately, to understand the growth that is happening within these walls. I'm tempted just to say, "It's going great!"

But that would be a lie... or a part-truth, which might as well be a lie.

It's going.

It has its ups and downs.

It's going as well as can be expected for any major life change.

There is going to be a an adjustment period, just like when you sent your oldest off to kindergarten or you changed jobs or grandma moved in.

We're keepin' on keepin' on. We're working out the kinks. Together.

Here are some positives: My kids have free time, during which they have been truly cultivating their imaginative play, reading, making up games, and getting plenty of sunshine. They are learning the joy of writing about the things that interest them. They have time to clean. They get enough sleep. They cook. Their in-depth knowledge of the Middle Ages is coming out naturally in their play, in their projects, and in our conversations. (And I don't even have to test them!) I don't have to ask them what they did at school all day. They are learning to love Chaucer. We don't have morning and bed time battles.

Here's a big one: I was practically forced to re-evaluate my parenting. I implemented a regime of "unspoiling" that is working! I unplugged my kids' brains from the screen... and it's amazing how quickly Imy brain followed suit. (My online time has diminished right alongside theirs, and is usually only taken after they've gone to bed or are outside playing. So, I get more done.) I decided to stop letting my kids push me to my limits, and we are all enjoying a better relationship for it!

Negatives? I'm exhausted. I'm looking for a new (paper) curriculum. I feel like we're not doing enough. I don't squeeze in excercise time for myself. I'm not planning meals well like I used to, so sometimes we lack a salad or a veggie or an ingredient where there used to always be one! I'm exhausted. The house isn't as clean. I'm way behind on my episodes of "Glee" and "Modern Family." We're not doing EVERYTHING I thought we would. And we don't seem to have time for that. I'm behind on lunch dates with my friends. I need a hair cut.

A song lyric popped into my mind just now. "Hold on, don't move too fast. You gotta make the moment last..."

Here's the thing. Everyone has to make decisions about their families. I don't think my choice is superior to yours. It's just "righter" for my family, right now. I try not to talk about homeschooling with my friends all the time. I ask about their kids' teachers and such. I'm not a different person now that I'm a home schooling mom. I'm just me. Only more tired.