Will the perfect homeschooler please stand up?
Now, please go somewhere else. I am not worthy to be in the room with you!
Ok, now, for the rest of us, lets lay down the myth of the perfect homeschooler.
1. Most homeschoolers don't get EVERYTHING done, every day. It might be studies, meals, cleaning or ministry that slides but something probably goes every day. That's ok. Just keep doing the next right thing!
2. Most homeschoolers think that someone (or everyone!) is doing it better than they are. Guilt runs rampant among homeschooling mothers.
3. Most homeschooling mothers have had a bad day......most have had that bad day sometime this week.
4. Having a bad day doesn't mean that you are a failure or a bad mother. It doesn't mean that you should send the children out to meet the bus. It means that you need to pick up where you are at and start over.
Ways to combat super-homeschool mom myths:
1. Spend time with God every day. He is the super-homeschooler!
2. Remember that nobody is perfect. You aren't perfect, your children aren't perfect and your homeschooling friends aren't perfect.
3. Do the next RIGHT thing. This is my motto for the year. Remember that the next RIGHT thing might be to take a shower, read a book or take a walk. Mothers need a break too!
I am the mom of 3 rambunctious boys. Many people tell me my life must be very exciting. It is! Yesterday I baked cookies while the boys drove the Little Tikes Jeep through my kitchen. My kitchen is only 3-3.5 ft. from counter to counter. I had to stand very still and hope that the older ones were steering! At any given point in time, there are dirty rocks, dirty ATV helmets, dirty socks and shoes on my kitchen table. Yes, we eat and have school at this table! I count it a GREAT day when I can see the table, bar and living room floor before I go to bed. Many days I wonder why I even bother, but, I just do the next RIGHT thing!
God has great things planned for me and my boys (and my husband too!). I am blessed to spend every minute with them. Your children are a blessing too! God has great plans for them and you! We don't need to be the perfect homeschoolers. We just need to roll with the punches and keep doing the next right thing!
***I got "The Next Right Thing" from the new First Place 4 Health book by Carol Lewis, available as part of the First Place 4 Health member kit....available at CBD.
2 comments:
Great reminder and encouragement! [smile]
~Luke
Great post!! I see your depression must be either gone or much less. Much progress, heh!! So glad to hear that you have such a joyful attitude with life. We really are blessed beyond measure and comparisons just ruin it.
One of my grandfather's famous statements was "You are rich and don't even know it." If we only look at what God has given us, we would see the wealth. When we look at what others have, we don't see the gifts that God has given to us.
God bless!!
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