In the spirit of 'keeping it real'...and running the risk of inviting all kinds of negative comments, I thought I would branch out on the not-so-fun side of homeschooling today. Because so much has been said about the benefits, it's only fair and honest if someone exposes some of the things that are not a joy.
In no particular order:
1. Being around my kids 24/7. Don't get me wrong. I love my kids more than coffee ice cream. But there are days when we all just get tired of looking at each other.
2. Wearing the Mom Hat, the Teacher Hat, and the Principal Hat all at once. Some days it is tough to be Teacher Mom and give the bad marks on the writing assignment when at the same time, Loving Mom wants to be nice and give you a better grade because I saw how hard you worked on it.
3. Negotiating 'friend time', field trips, lessons, etc. There are times when I wonder if the amount of gas I have used hauling them around would pay for private school tuition.
4. Nagging self-doubt. Do I really need to explain this one? Even in small doses, it's always present.
5. Feeling overwhelmed by all the choices out there. Especially since high school is coming down the pike. Veritas? Classical Conversations? Two Day a Week Co-op? Private school? Online public school? Umbrella School? Aye aye aye. It makes my head spin.
6. Lack of money. Obviously one needs to be a stay at home mom to homeschool, or at least a part time employee. Sometimes I think "Would life be easier if I had a job with some extra income to pay for fun stuff? Or not even fun stuff, but great field trips, science curriculum, etc. And yes, I tire of saying to my kids "Sorry...we can't afford that."
So there are a few reasons why homeschooling can be not-so-fun.
Not that I would consider any of them big enough reasons to stop homeschooling though. The benefits far out weigh the negatives. And lets face it...homeschooling is a finite schedule. One day I will have all the time, money and gas I could ever want. Until then, I am keeping my eyes on the prize!
ITA with ya! But -- like, you...I wouldn't give it up for anything. God knew exactly what He was doing when he put it in Brian and my hearts to homeschool our children before they were ever born. Even though Caleb has had a GREAT tic-free (to the eye) month, I couldn't imagine him in a school setting. My poor child would have the hardest time. I'm thankful and feel so blessed to be "poor for homeschool". :)
ReplyDeleteLove it!! Just to put you at ease about #3 - I paid for private school tuition for 4 years. Just one kid. And after doing so, I can totally justify plunking down made money on books, field trips, lessons and "social" outings. With private school comes: driving to and from school everyday, driving to and from friends houses that are just as spread out as our homeschooled buds, uniforms (at our last school was very specific - right down to the shoes they wore), lunches - not just buying garbage because I tired of hearing how my lunches didn't have the "good stuff", and let's not forget that Chic Fil A catered on every Weds, and Pizza was every Friday, and don't get me started on FUNDRAISING. I was the PTF president for 2 years. That's a post I really don't miss! I do agree with being overwhelmed with choices. I still haven't decided on my science for my youngest and my math for the oldest...tick tock...and getting a break from the kids...well, add a DAD in who works from home...aye yi yi... ;P Lisa W
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