This Too Shall Pass
Reposted from September 2004
Well, I can’t believe we’ve been schooling for over a month now. While I’m adjusting to not have any free time to myself, falling down exhausted in the bed at 2 pm and staying up late at night preparing lessons, my boys aren’t adjusting so quickly. Joey (7) has daily bouts of whining fits and Chris (10) has trouble following simple instructions and often interrupts and blurts out answers for his brother. (But isn’t that one of the reasons I decided to homeschool?)If it wasn’t for the daily struggles, battles and screaming fits of anger, school would be going great! I must admit at my lowest, I’ve threatened to put my kids in public school something they don’t want to do. But they’d love to go back to their old private school. They miss the specials and FUN! But they don’t realize yet that there are benefits to homeschooling, like skipping Math and grammar lessons they already know, not having homework, going on outings in the middle of the day and I can go on and on… sleeping in!
We’re actually going on a field trip with friends today and have been on several outings with other friends, but I do admit I have to make the daily stuff a little more fun and I have to realize when my boys get overwhelmed with a task I’ve given them. But it’s a learning process and thought there are more bad days than good days, I will persist knowing that THIS TOO SHALL PASS!
Three years later and it’s still not PASSING! I’m just struggling with a different set of homeschoolers. Timmy is fighting his summer phonics lessons like he did all year. That’s one of the reasons we’re still doing phonics this summer!
For three years I threatened to send them back to school. Never did! But this Fall they will be going to school, but not because of threats. Because I feel it’s the next step in their schooling and our relationship!
I will miss the sleeping in (so will Chris.) I will miss the afternoon outings (though the boys get out at 1:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and I will miss having no homework to follow up on. Yet, we will adjust. One thing my boys are is flexible! When they’re full grown, nothing will be able to stand in their way. We’ve done it all and they’ll be able to adapt to it all! At least that’s my prayer!
