I do know a family or two who apparently stay totally on schedule for school, wrap it all up by Memorial Day, and take the entire summer off each year. However, most of the homeschooling families I know do not; they have subjects to finish up or lingering projects to complete over the summer. And while outsiders looking in may find that appalling, it could be that they are not familiar with all that that a homeschooling mother must juggle.
When my husband and I went to Ukraine for 31 days for our adoption, my parents bravely undertook the care and home education of our other two children, who were eight and twelve at the time. While we were gone, my mom made a chart of all the responsibilities I normally had to manage along with an estimate of how much time they each required. What she found was that there isn’t enough time in the day to get it all done.
What I’m saying, moms, is that if your job feels huge, that’s because it is. I have a tendency to let that get me down at times, and I know some of you do, too.
When you are tempted to be discouraged with what you didn’t get accomplished, remind yourself of what you did accomplish; stop to acknowledge the Lord’s faithfulness for the past, the present, and the future; and be thankful. Actually, I was having one of those discouraged days yesterday, and one of my daughters helped me to put things in perspective. It’s often the nature of homeschooling for some of the biggest leaps in learning to not be because of what was on the list at the outset of the school year, but instead they are a result of some unforeseen event or opportunity that God gave you the grace to make the most of.
At this time of year, especially, don’t succumb to the temptation to call yourself a failure just because your homeschooling schedule doesn’t look like somebody else’s. And don’t forget that your Sovereign Father has even more invested in your children’s future than you do.
“For I am confident of this very thing,
that He who began a good work in you
will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6
Scripture quotation taken from the NASB.
Homeschooling with her husband, Scott, since 2001, Carol believes nothing is too difficult for God. She is a passionate encourager and loves using creative means–including writing music, speaking, and blogging–to encourage others to trust God through all the adventures He calls them to. You can read more from her at her Unsmotherable Delight blog (udelight.blogspot.com), where you’ll find faith-filled original songs, favorite scriptures, family stories, and even a little film about adoption, all designed to inspire and lift your spirit. Her ‘theme song’ titled Captain’s Anthem can be heard on Vimeo at http://vimeo.com/30769152.