The following is a post from contributing writer Stef.
The homeschool day starts, the homeschool day ends. Can I share that some days I wonder – did I enjoy my children today?
Lesson this, experiment that, curriculum check boxes, chapters read, pages 3-hole punched, day after day after homeschool day.
If I’m not careful I get lost in doing school and forget all about enjoying children.
I sometimes joke that homeschool is “Ground Hog Day.” There are times I can only remember what day of the week it is because we’re doing art and we do art on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I get lost in the routine and forget to enjoy my children during the routine.
Rather than a home educator I become a homeschool zombie.
I started praying each morning, “God please give me new eyes to see my children, to present the materials with joy and excitement. Refresh our excitement for learning and teach me something new”.
I encourage all homeschool families to treat this time as an opportunity to make memories learning together.
Homeschool is not just their lessons to complete while I fold laundry. Homeschooling is precious time God has given me to invest love into my children’s lives. It’s not about the completed worksheets, it’s about loving my time with them. This time together is a gift.
About Stef
Oh my goodness, this really resonated with me today. I know some days are like this! However, there are days I feel I can look back and said, wow, I enjoyed this time with my children… and I hope there are days my kids remember like this, too. That’s what this is all about, after all.
This is the Number 1 reason I am homeschooling my son. I want to build connections with him. Especially because I didn’t know how to build them well when he was younger. Yes, I want to give him greater learning opportunities, but he isn’t going to shrivel up if I put him in school. However, I really want that time to build memories, and for him to know his mom loves him more than I love having time to myself.
Thanks for this reminder!! Our kids are so precious, but it’s easy to get caught up in the little details and forget to see that we only have them for a little while and we need to value the time now instead of look back with regret and what “could have been” down the road. : )
Thanks for sharing these wise words! I SO AGREE! This year we are homeschooling our 11th grader, haven’t done that since 4th grade. I must admit…I am able to enjoy…because he wasn’t here these last few years. I enjoy just seeing him enjoying learning and thinking. Exploring and discussing…I think senior high is going to be lots of fun – it’s keeping me thinking too! Thanks for your timely encouragement! Hugs!
You are so right…the time together IS a gift, one I’m so very thankful for!
I LOVE this post and I feel exactly the same way about why my hubby & I decided to homeschool our son. Although we are just starting out on this journey (kindergarten), these sentiments are awesome to hold dear when the “going gets rough”. I am going to be saying this prayer too (I hope you don’t mind
) every morning to help both my son & I grown, learn & en joy this process together. Thanks again & God Bless! 