Sometimes homeschooling is amazing!
Listening to a child finally reading out loud by herself;
seeing your awkward teenage boy jump for joy after mastering an algebra lesson;
hearing exclamations of surprise during a science experiment;
making memories during a family field trip;
hearing a chorus of "Just one more chapter!" and pretending reluctance as you happily comply.
And then, of course, we all experience the stressful, difficult days of homeschooling:
Struggles with math or reading.
Tears and tantrums from toddlers (or teens...).
Trying to power through when you're sick or in pain yourself. (Having thrown out my back earlier this week, this one is definitely true for me today.)
No one can find pencils or paper; everyone is complaining; the kitchen is a disaster; wet laundry is still in the washer from yesterday; and you have no idea what you're going to feed everyone for lunch OR dinner. (Is fasting an option?!)
Familiar?!
What keeps you going on those difficult days? What do you do when homeschooling is hard?
And...more than that...what keeps you going on REALLY difficult days? Not that the above scenarios aren't difficult, but I mean when homeschooling is HARD because you're dealing with heartache on top of the daily struggles.
The doctor confirms a terminal diagnosis.
Your husband is being let go from work.
A loved one has lost the battle with cancer.
You miscarried the baby you prayed for.
How do you keep going?
When homeschooling is hard, the only way forward is to remember your mission, your WHY for doing this in the first place. If you don't have a mission, if you haven't established the foundation for why you're home educating your children, it will be all too easy to find an alternative option. But if you're committed to homeschooling for the long haul, you'll remember that the daily activities, schedules, assignments--all of that is there as a TOOL for you to accomplish your mission.
Maybe school goes on hiatus while you regroup as a family. Maybe you shift into survival mode, doing the bare minimum to keep the kids occupied while you and your husband attend to the crisis at hand.
There are ways to keep going when the going gets tough. But most important of all is keeping an eternal perspective, remembering that ultimately, we are homeschooling so we can teach and disciple our children, growing them into kingdom-minded followers of Jesus.
Is homeschooling hard for you these days? You don't have to do this alone. Hop on a free clarity call with me and let's get you past the difficulty.
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