There are days in our house where the kids come to the kitchen table and they are in their cozy clothes, sometimes pajamas. Where we live, the seasons are clearly marked by rainfall and windchill and early darkness. When we first started our homeschool journey, we got dressed, and we had our oldest get dressed for the day. Note that I said, “when we started.” You know that whole “Choose your Battles” thought? Well, we have chosen to not make that a battle here. Sometimes I too like the luxury of lounging in my pajama pants (my husband calls them my uniform) until lunch. Some families find that staying in pajamas is an obstacle to getting into a mindset for learning. To them I say, “Great! Get dressed! Do your program!” I suppose we have grown accustomed to cozy clothes life because now if I have jeans on before 9 a.m. everyone is suspect that we have a dentist appointment.
Anyway, that was a sidebar and perhaps another entry for another day. There are days where the rain is splashing into its own puddles outside and I am sipping tea and the kids are totally engaged in their learning. Thoughtful questions leading down rabbit holes of great discovery. Days where we start the day learning about a different culture and end the day preparing food from that region. Days where my seven year old grabs a huge stack of wooden craft sticks and some glue and builds. What start like tiny cabins morph into a cave that he then begins to tell me a story about. Those moments where I actually feel like I can see those dendrites firing around his remarkable brain. Where I am smiling inside at our choice to homeschool. Where I am overwhelmed with an abundance of warmth and confidence and little craft stick masterpieces. And all in the world, at least under my roof, feels okay.
There are also days where the toast is burned. The coffee is weak. The house is too hot. The house is too cold. Days where my plans are unhinged by kids who aren’t feeling the lesson the way I thought they would. Days where the interest wasn’t there, and if I am being totally honest- sometimes on both of our ends. Days where I find myself bargaining with young children about getting one more page of “work” done. Days where the quantity of work feels more important than the quality. It was how I learned. Workbook pages and tests to turn in and homework pages validated with tiny foil star stickers. Days where I have literally laid on the floor of my kitchen both my child and myself close to tears. Those days are part of homeschool too. We learn more about patience. We learn more about compassion. We learn more about learning. And I have learned, with time and a lot more experience, that one day isn’t all days. And one week isn’t all weeks and even one whole school year isn’t all of life. It is okay that they aren’t all craft stick days. But they are all learning days.
They Homeschool 