How Do I Make This Homeschool Thing Actually "Fly"...

So here you are. A mom, probably in your mid-thirties. It's August, which probably means you are kicking off your family's homeschool year. And you are most likely a bit uncertain as to how to actually make this whole thing work.

How do I know this? Because for the last 25 or so years, I have been doing this whole thing. And to use an overused phrase, let me just say that THE STRUGGLE ACTUALLY IS REAL!

"Momming/Homeschooling"

Now if you happen to be that mom who is ultra squared-away, I take my hat off to you. Please, teach the rest of us your ways! We all need some help from the mom gurus and homeschool super heroes living in our midst. Share often via social media and blog posts and through good old-fashioned face-to-face conversations. Your knowledge and wisdom and insight is so much needed!

But for the rest of us - the ones struggling to get the laundry folded the same week it was laundered and wondering how many times pancakes can be on the dinner menu in the same month - well, that's who this post is really written for.

So what do I know after a quarter of a century? A whole lot less than you'd think, honestly. But what little I have I am more than happy to share...and I will even share it with bullet points! (It seems really adult-ish and less corny that way, I hope.)

• In the end, your kids will have learned a ton more than you ever dreamed you would be able to teach them when you first started this homeschooling journey. 
• Also in the end, your kids will be okay - as in, they can still get into a good college even if they aren't so great at high school math or science (and even if you aren't so great at teaching high school math or science).
• If they stumble around a little bit during their teen and young adult years, it isn't necessarily a direct reflection on you as a homeschooling mother...although the people in your world who were watching you with that critical anti-homeschooling eye may want you to believe that your child's stubbed toe is a) a direct result of homeschooling and is b) far more serious than their own child's broken femur. (Yes, I am saying loud enough for all to hear - homeschooled children are judged so much more harshly than their counterparts. Judging homeschoolers is sort of replacing judging pastor's kids....and even some pastors have gotten in on the judging, seemingly forgetting how hard that scrutiny was for their own children!) 
• You're not going to regret the extra time you had with your kids as compared to sending them off to school each day. Oh, there will be some things you'll regret and wish you had done totally differently, but the time with them? Nah, that's not on the regret list.
• Take the time you need to plan out the homeschool year and take time here and there to better yourself as their primary educator. It's some of the best use you can make of your limited time, even though it feels like it's time you can't afford. Just trust me on this one - it makes a massive difference over the short and long term.
• Remember that your children are really amazing, unique people. Enjoy them for who they are. It's such a privilege to live out the growing-up years alongside of them in their individuality (which isn't squashed out of them by peer pressure and social expectations the way it is for so many young people). They are neat people! And you are so blessed to get to enjoy this time with them!
• Make them finish their assigned work and make yourself grade the assigned (and unassigned!) work they complete. This is good for them and it is good for you. Just try it on a super-consistent basis this academic year and discover for yourself all the benefits of those two simple things!
• Lastly, I just want to tell you ~ in case nobody else has told you this today ~ you are a good mom. I'm thankful for you. Way to go, my fellow homeschooler! You are doing a great job. Thanks for serving your family, and all of society in the long run, by walking this path.

I'm not sure that advice is of any value to any moms out there, but if it is, do me a massive favor and tell another homeschooling mom something supportive that will bless her today! You can share this post via social media, sure - that's easy and is awesome (how many times have I read something that was exactly what I needed because someone shared it on FB or pinned it via Pinterest). But however you do it, get this done: tell a mom she is doing a great work and you see her and are thankful for her.

God bless & keep on doing the "Momming/Homeschooling" thing!

Day 391 done :)

Jan L. Burt

JanLBurt.com

The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study (at Amazon)
The Once-A-Year Homeschool Planner - An All-in-One, All-Student, All-Subject Planning System (at JanLBurt.com/Home)