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Living the Dream of Homeschooling by Jan L. Burt

 Homeschooling is a lifestyle. 

Which means it intersects with, and sometimes invades, all aspects of our lives.

Homeschooling is a lot. And so, it is not for the faint of heart. But neither is raising children, or following Jesus, or a myriad of other things that offer the highest ROI while demanding the utmost dedication from us. 


Basically, homeschooling joins the ranks of pursuits that are daunting, difficult and daring. 

And since you are reading this post today, let me assure you that the strong sense of overwhelm and the emotional roller coaster you deal with now and then is totally normal for someone undertaking such an all-encompassing task/role/journey as homeschooling. 


Is there actually a dream to be lived out as we educate our children at home? Or is it merely survival in the midst of stress and pressure and all the things that make life hectic? 

It's both.

There is no easy button or cure for the chaos that comes with raising and homeschooling children. (And as a 25-year homeschooling mom of five children, let me state for the record that anyone who claims to have found the ultimate easy button that takes away all the stress and struggle and replaces it with easy days and perfect children is not telling you the truth.)


See, here's the thing: there is hard and there is harder for the life of a homeschool mom. There are going to be hard things. Period. No avoiding it, no way around it, no way out of it. Hard things come with parenting. Hard things come with life. Hard things come wherever your child goes to school and with whomever is educating them. Hard is part of this thing called life. But there is hard and then there is harder. You can choose your hard. 



What's harder for you: planning out the week's lessons or going with the flow and teaching on the fly each day? (There is no right or wrong answer here: just simply choose which option is harder for you and do the thing that is LESS HARD... choose your hard.) 

Is weekly meal planning harder for you than deciding each day what your family will have for dinner? Choose the hard that is not hardest!

Apply this as widely and broadly as possible and be liberal in the application. This is your life, these are your children, it is your family's homeschool journey, and you get to choose your hard. 

And if the hard you choose today doesn't ring true with you and your unique lifestyle, priorities, and children, then choose a different version of hard tomorrow. Rinse and repeat and get as close to living the homeschooling dream as you can.


Let me leave you with this final smidgen of advice: remember, you are allowed to enjoy your life. Right now. Today. Trust me on this! Choose to enjoy SOME ASPECT of your crazy-busy life in this very season, on this very day. 


Happy Homeschooling!

Jan L. Burt

The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study: Encouragement for Homeschooling Mothers: Burt, Jan L.: 9781514820742: Amazon.com: Books


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