Se7en + 1 Things That Seasoned Homeschoolers Don’t Always Share…

I haven’t written about homeschooling for the longest time, and I really have so many posts spinning around in my head… I decided this year that we are going to have a monthly theme… in order to get the posts out that our readers want to read. At the end of each year I transfer all the blog post ideas from the previous year’s diary into the next one and I was horrified to realise that I have actually put off writing about homeschooling high schoolers for about two years now. In retrospect this is a good thing… the post I had planned two years ago is definitely not the post I would write now, what can I say, experience and my children are great teachers. Anyway I know that folk want a “What’s working for us right now” kind of post… and I have a couple of fun science posts and some fabulous GiveAways up my sleeve for this month… so look out for our homeschooling posts in the weeks ahead.

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I thought I would kick off this month of homeschooling posts with:

Se7en + 1 Things That Seasoned Homeschoolers Don’t Always Share…

  1. The Guilt of the Homeschool Mother:
  2. When we have so much freedom to pick and choose the best available programs for our children we can often worry that our kids are not receiving the best education that we thought we could give them… A visit with friends and their math program looks so much more fun than your own. Other friends have a writing program second to none and yet more friends have a endless supply of incredible activities to keep their children stimulated and interested in learning. What starts as a “That would be so lovely…” feeling quickly becomes a “my kids are missing out feeling…” Yes, it is the old “Don’t Ever Compare” situation. You cannot give your child every single possible advantage and even if your child was in the best, most clear thinking, incredible school in the world… there would still be somethings that your child couldn’t pursue… there might be a clash with orchestra and skiing; chess club and X-country could be on the same day. Your child just cannot do everything and you cannot provide them with everything – it is ridiculous to even think we can… but homeschool moms seem to think they have to have to do so much more for their kids – you do and you don’t… you do have to do your best and you don’t have to do it all, a lot of your child’s education is just that, their education.

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  3. The Myth of the Well-Rounded Student:
  4. There is a relentless pursuit of activities, for homeschooled and non-homeschooled children alike, so that they may enter the adult world with every advantage one day. No study has ever shown that the child that partakes in a plethora of activities becomes a more successful adult, however you are measuring success. In fact, many children the world over, don’t actually partake in organised activities and yet grow up to lead fulfilling lives. Not to mention, wherever your children are being educated they are in the real world, there are not many folk who are actually raising their children in a closet. I have found that my kids value long lazy afternoons, where they can create and do more of their own projects. It has become a far more valuable way for our kids to learn and spend their time, than dashing from activity to activity. I have a feeling that this quest for “well-rounded” children reflects the affluent society that we live in far more than it reflects the nurturing of our children.

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  5. You Can Only Provide the Tools:
  6. Your students actually have to do the work. I never fail to be impressed at the incredible displays of work that a local school provides as their end of year exhibition. I am always a littler deflated and think – my kids haven’t done work that looks like that… at which stage the father person will always mention that the grade 1 teacher must have an army of helpers to do all the necessary fine-motor cutting… and glue control for these assignments. And if it isn’t an incredibly busy teacher, then it really does reflect a lot of parents that are burning the mid-night oil with homework assignments. An exhibition is just that – a showcase of their very best work… I know that in a given year my children will each produce a handful of beautiful assignments… but most of their work is just typical scrawlings in a note book… ragged writing on paper that they continuously forget to file… regular kids doing regular work, that rise to the occasion when a project inspires them… just like us!!!

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  7. You Will Make Mistakes:
  8. In fact you will make dozens of mistakes, daily. If my children have taught me nothing else it is how to say I am sorry. I make mistakes… I pick projects that don’t excite them, I expect them to dash through the dreadful and get onto the fun stuff… I often expect so much more from my kids than I expect from myself. As your kids get older they are far more apt to mention, rather than just observe, that you may not be practicing what you preach. And when your high-schoolers ask how you had time to surf everyday for weeks on end and get your coursework done… you may have to confess that your work ethic came a little later in life, with a certain amount of maturity and that they are streaks ahead of what you were when you were their age. The truth is we want the best for our kids, we don’t want them to suffer from the same mistakes we made… but they have to, we have to give them the breathing space to make the right decisions and when they don’t… A hug rather than “I told you so” is very often the best training.

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  9. You Will Want to Quit:
  10. There is always “The Rah, Rah” about how wonderful homeschooling is… when homschoolers are with non-homeschoolers they feel they have to say that homeschooling is so great. When homeschoolers are with other homeschoolers folks tend to talk about how well their school is going, even though they may look worn out!!! Truth is homeschooling is hard work, of course it can be brilliant fun and I really wouldn’t change it for the world. But there will be times when you want to quit. And that’s okay. Make a plan to work around that… the shear year-in/year-outness of it all means that there have to be seasons of schooling. Seasons when you conquer heaps, things just work and you do incredible projects alongside each other. And seasons when you claw your way through the day’s reading… where even the thought of spending ten minutes making a batch of cupcakes is more than you can muster… Here’s the thing… your kids will get older and they will make their own cup-cakes. I know it is hard to believe when you have four kids under six… but there will be a time when you kids can actually do their own thing competently… in fact when their own thing might mean saying to you: “You seem a bit cranky, why don’t you take a nap?” I tell you the truth it goes full circle.

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  11. Your Students will be Far From Perfect:
  12. I know it is hard to imagine, when you have an eager kindergartener asking “Is it a school day? Is it? Is it?…,” that you will ever have a child that will look you in the eye and say “all done” when they are far from it. I know it is incredible to believe that a child will tell you they have read a book and coloured in a map… when they have actually not moved the book from the shelf and their idea for colouring the map was to take a brown pencil crayon and write “treasure” over the only featured island. I know you can think I have appalling children… the truth is out. But most likely your children will have their faults too and they, like all of us, will do their best to hide them from you. Probably the hardest thing for me to accept is the incredible level of “forgetfulness”… I have no idea why older folk are teased for their forgetfulness and “senior moments” while our kids forget on a daily basis… to make their beds, do a page of math, the list is endless… yes it is stuff that they have to do everyday and we could have lists plastered on every wall, not exactly the decor I am after though! When you are a homeschool mom and your kids push you to the edge… you have to remember that it is all about training and it just takes time, lots of it. I would rather my child rebelled about a math exercise than any number of other things that friends of mine have had to deal with. Pick your fights, make your stand and let the rest go…

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  13. Homeschooling isn’t Forever:
  14. This is probably the hardest of all to believe… especially if your kids are still young and reckless… and yes I still have one who is a way off starting school yet!!! But your kids really do grow up… you will miss those bedtimes when they wanted just one more story, those afternoons having picnics in a fort in the garden… it will all pass, I can see the end on sight, certainly for our oldest two students… they are still a little way off but the focus of school has changed somewhat for them. I want to spend time with them without having to do stuff with them… whereas when they were little our idea of spending time together was very much doing something together. I think that seeing the journey that homeschooling has been means that I am a little less focused on getting everything done and a lot more focused on filling my kids up with time together. A lot of fresh new potential homeschoolers ask me about new reading programs and what I am doing with my little ones… and I have to say I don’t even think about it too much, I am for more concerned that they get ample play time together in a day and that they spend a couple of minutes reading with me at the table because it is fun… than if we have ticked all the boxes on the lesson chart at the back of the book…

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    And the Se7en + 1th Thing…

  15. The Myth of the All-Round Mother:
  16. Well I might be round, I had eight kids in just over ten years – it wrought havoc on my previously athletic body… but that’s where the roundness ends. You need to know that the only person that is assessing wether you are the best homeschool mom in the world is you… and there is no badge!!! It is not a popularity contest, and since my kids have no idea how much fun their schooling is compared to much of mine – they are never going to thank me for it. A thankless and seemingly endless task. Don’t give up, persevere, I’ll tell you why: You know how you love and adore your toddlers… they can do no wrong, even if they wake you ten times in the night it is no problem to serve them and say: “Shame they were cold, they needed a drink, whatever…” Even when your toddlers behaviour is outrageous – you still love and adore them. Well, chances are that for all the hours and hours of time you are spending with them and hanging out with them while you homeschool… there will come a time that you will look at them and say: “I like them, they are good kids.” You will want to spend time with them for who they are, because they have their own interests that they want to share with you, because they want to know about the projects that you are working on. There comes a time, and believe me it is a blink away, when you will choose to spend time with them just because you want to. I know now, that high school is that dreamy place between doing so much for your kids every second of the day and the time when they will fly out the door to conquer the world. My days with my kids are numbered… I feel them passing… and while I look forward to quiet afternoons and pottering in the garden (about twenty years from now!) I fully intend to spend my time enjoying my kids now and I for one am not wishing this time together away.

That’s it… se7en + 1 snippets… if I had to say just one thing: “Stop focusing on what you aren’t getting done – there will always be plenty of that!!! And start focusing on all the things you are doing – very often it is a lot more than we think!!!”

If you do have questions ask away, please ask away in the comments, I value your questions and will get back to you. Also I have answered a lot of homeschool questions over our years of blogging… if you click on the school button above it will take you into our school posts and you should find the answers to a lot of your questions at the end of our school collection page.

34 Replies to “Se7en + 1 Things That Seasoned Homeschoolers Don’t Always Share…”

  1. I love this post. So much of it applies to us non-homeschoolers too. So easy to compare to others. I try so hard not to. I try to remind myself that not everyone IS doing everything. Those that ferry children to every afternoon activity are not sitting down beside their children and creating water colour pictures and cooking suppers from scratch. They are not the same person. We can’t do it all. It all boils down to priorities and 24 hours in the day! Thanks for the reminder that I am not alone!

  2. As usually, great post. I just find it so real…even though i am not a homeschool mum, but the feelings that you decribed along the post…well i just feel them.I wish i could homeschool my children, but here in our country this is not an option. But i think every parents is homeschooling in some way…well, keep on with posts like this!I just love your posts!

  3. Hi Cheryl, I love your thoughtful comment!!! Isn’t it the truth that when we see someone doing something fabulous with their kids then we assume that they are doing everything perfectly!!! Nobody is actually doing it all!!! I hope you are having a fabulous week and that your kids settle back into school with finesse!!!

  4. Katja, You are always so right… everybody is homeschooling to some extent!!! I have a couple of these posts to write this month so I hope you enjoy the read!!! Have a fabulous week!!!

  5. I blogged something similar yesterday, trying to encourage people out there. I felt guilt for years and when my daughter got to college and did well, I was thrilled. I hadn’t been messing my kids up as much as I thought I was. LOL I love this post. Thanks for writing and sharing. I hope it blesses a lot of people.

  6. Thank you Aunty Muffin, It is so good to hear from you again!!! I hope you are having a fantastic year so far, lots of lekker love!!!

  7. That picture of you reading to your kids in bed is THE BEST. It really captures what motherhood is all about. This entire post was the best. Every word in it was exactly what I needed to hear today. Thanks again.

  8. Thanks for reminding us that we are all muddling through and each of us is doing the best we can with what we have!
    I am in the process of relocating from Canada to Johannesburg for 6 months and am wondering if you have any homeschool contacts in the Joburg area you could put me in touch with? We will likely be living in the Sandton area and are anxious to find some homeschool families to connect with during our time there!
    Love your blog and always enjoy reading about your journey. Be blessed.

  9. Hay Tracy W, I am so pleased you enjoyed the post… and yes that is basically a picture of bed time every single night!!! Hope you have a great week!!!

  10. Thanks so much for the honest and encouraging post! I enjoy your blog, for I get “fed” on many different levels ;).

  11. Melanie, Thank you so much for commenting, and I am so glad you enjoy following our blog!!! Hope you had a great week and that your weekend is fabulous!!!

  12. Wonderful, wonderful post…full of great reminders for non homeschoolers and homeschoolers. Thank you for real words of wisdom!

  13. Some real honesty! I would say I agree with all of them today and tomorrow I might disagree with all of them. So many of my feelings depend on the day, and what we have achieved, who we have visited and our relationships with our children.
    I would also add:
    Don’t feel bad if homeschooling isn’t fun! There is this perception that we ourselves sometimes feed our kids that learning always has to be fun all the time otherwise we are these really bad homeschooling moms. Sometimes, it’s just plain hard work.
    Great post

  14. Hi Mel, Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, it is always good to hear from mom’s in the thick of it!!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

  15. This met me right where I’m at!
    [“Here’s the thing… your kids will get older and they will make their own cup-cakes. I know it is hard to believe when you have four kids under six… but there will be a time when you kids can actually do their own thing competently… ]
    My kids are just-turned-six, 4-1/2, 2-3/4 and 17 mos. and we’ve just started homeschooling this year. As a “homeschool graduate” myself (K-12), I know it is a journey. But ever since I found out #4 was on the way, when our oldest was still 3 years old, I’ve been hanging on, surviving.
    I know you’re right. I know it will all fly by.
    So when my 17 month-old reaches toward the shelf and calling “Book! Book!” . . . and at bedtime my 4-year-old says, “Will you rock me, Mommy?” . . . and while I’m cooking dinner, my 6-year-old asks, “Can I read you the book I wrote?” (again?!) . . . and my quiet little 2-year-old sits sucking her fingers with sad eyes that tell me ‘somebody-needs-a-little-one-on-one,’ I want just to take them into my arms and love the moments away!

  16. I really enjoy reading your perceptions and experience thus far. Thanks for sharing. I also struggle with the ‘not done’ question. It’s one of the reasons I persevere with a year end summary book of photos and records of the stuff we have done because it makes me focus on all the great stuff we did do. It’s too easy to compare and worry. Thanks for your honesty. 🙂

  17. Thank you for this post. Sometimes we tend to believe that by homeschooling we are or have to be more __________ than someone else. The comparison thing. It’s good to be realistic, admit our weaknesses and determine to do our best, nothing less and nothing more.

  18. Hi Becky!!! I know exactly how you feel… and I also have a big-eyed little one that slips under the radar… or under the volume of others and I have to remember to check they are still with us amidst all the happenings!!! Fun times!!! And your kids won’t need you any less when they are older but they get much better at getting your attention without standing on your feet while you are cooking!!! You will miss these crazy times – enjoy the good moments because they are in there and they are the ones worth remembering the best!!! Wishing you a fabulous weekend!!!

  19. Hay Tammy, So good to hear from you… hope you had the most fabulous holiday… can’t wait to see you guys again!!! Have a good weekend and lots of love!!!

  20. Hay Katie, Thanks for stopping by… Ha that great big comparative study in the sky!!! Aren’t we all so good at it!!! Hope you have a brilliant weekend!!!

  21. AmyDe, Thank you so much for commenting… so glad you found our post useful and I hope you have a fantastic week!!!

  22. Good morning,

    I am looking for an existing home school group in the north of Johannesburg for my 10-year old son. Would you know of any such groups?

    I would really appreciate your help.

    Many thanks in advance,

    Regards,

    Nancy

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