A tip of the scale
So, maybe I shouldn't have waited until summer, when my kids are home with me all the time, to make a decision about whether I want my kids home with me all the time. I've found myself dipping into the cons of homeschooling quite a bit - particularly the ones that affect my ability to get anything done. I am trying to find the line between selfish and practical. Is it selfish to want some time to read a book, write a book (or even just a blog, for goodness sake!), exercise in peace, see some friends or just plan a dinner? Or should I embrace the challenge of getting those things done WHILE pouring my own life into my kids?
And as they run through the house yelling at each other at this very moment, I am asking myself: When does school start?
But yesterday I was reminded of why this debate began again this year - not because there was anything wrong with our school experience, but because the school experience itself is simply exhausting. Mornings spent racing out the door + afternoons balancing play (for a kid who has been in school all day) and work and dinner and activities and bedtime = no time to enjoy each other or these days that are flying by.
With two kids in school, that's not going to get any better. I will now have 2 children that need to get fed, dressed and piano-practiced before getting in the car every morning. I will feel the need to volunteer in 2 classrooms and go on 2 sets of field trips. We will be balancing two sets of activities in that short after-school window and doing two sets of homework, washing two sets of uniforms and packing two lunches every day.
It's not that we can't do that, or that we wouldn't do it well. It's simply that, for us, there is another option, one that provides us with all the time we want to develop in the areas we'd like to grow.
So today, in spite of the child on my lap who has now asked me 72 times to do something other than what I am in the middle of, the scale is tipping in favor of homeschooling.* And with all due respect worthy of Him who will get me through this challenge, I plead: God help me.
*subject to change. :)
And as they run through the house yelling at each other at this very moment, I am asking myself: When does school start?
But yesterday I was reminded of why this debate began again this year - not because there was anything wrong with our school experience, but because the school experience itself is simply exhausting. Mornings spent racing out the door + afternoons balancing play (for a kid who has been in school all day) and work and dinner and activities and bedtime = no time to enjoy each other or these days that are flying by.
With two kids in school, that's not going to get any better. I will now have 2 children that need to get fed, dressed and piano-practiced before getting in the car every morning. I will feel the need to volunteer in 2 classrooms and go on 2 sets of field trips. We will be balancing two sets of activities in that short after-school window and doing two sets of homework, washing two sets of uniforms and packing two lunches every day.
It's not that we can't do that, or that we wouldn't do it well. It's simply that, for us, there is another option, one that provides us with all the time we want to develop in the areas we'd like to grow.
So today, in spite of the child on my lap who has now asked me 72 times to do something other than what I am in the middle of, the scale is tipping in favor of homeschooling.* And with all due respect worthy of Him who will get me through this challenge, I plead: God help me.
*subject to change. :)
Comments