Are You A Homeschool Mom Who Can’t Stop Overcommitting?
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Are You A Homeschool Mom Who Can’t Stop Overcommitting?
Dear Homeschool Mom, I see you.
I see you trying hard to fill all the gaps in your children’s education overnight.
I see you frantically networking to find all the right groups, clubs, and academic classes.
I see you seeking out all the information in a flustered hurry.
I see you desperately seeking connections with other like-minded moms.
I see you showing up unprepared over and over.
I see you struggling while trying to keep up with yourself and everyone else.
Can I tell you something friend? Stop.
Please stop.
There is no perfect class, curriculum, or group that will save you or your homeschool. You are not going to solve any of your problems this way.
I also see you tired, frazzled, and inconsistent.
It will be hard to consistently homeschool your children as you taxi from one event to the next 4-5 days a week. You will continue to spin your wheels.
Homeschooling, in it’s best form, should come from a peaceful place. A restful place.
Homeschooling by design should cultivate a lifelong love of learning. That requires a slower pace and your time.
Homeschooling shouldn’t feel rushed, hurried, or continuously inconsistent. Learning is certainly everywhere and anywhere, not just a worksheet or a textbook. But the beauty of education will be harder to find under all the hustle and bustle.
As a homeschool group leader, I watched year after year, as well-intended homeschool moms sign up and join everything in their path.
I also watch as they drop out, can’t keep up, and slowly disappear from groups and other social & academic circles.
Why do homeschool moms disappear?
Simple. Too many commitments.
After homeschooling over a decade, you learn a few things. You learn that you can not give your all to everything, but you can be “all in” on a few selective things.
Homeschool mom, you can not maintain a life of hurry. You will crash and burn, or something has to give.
Here Are Some Practical Tips To Keep You From Overcommitting This Homeschool Year:
If you say: “Well, I have multiple kids, and they each need to be involved in different things.” Try to find groups or activities that allow you to combine as many children as possible.
Yes, I know this may not always be ideal, but for example, if you join more than one homeschool group, you will never be able to plug in and connect with the same level of effort and commitment to both groups. Why not choose the best group suited for your entire family and sincerely give that group your all?
Would you be able to provide the same level of dedication to multiple Bible studies? No. You probably can not honestly say that you could. You could try, but by splitting your time and energy, you are doing precisely that! You are dividing your time and energy. Neither Bible study would have your ALL.
The same goes for too many commitments. Neither homeschool group or co-op will get the best of you. Weigh out all the pros and cons of each group or co-op and then choose the best fit for your family as a whole.
Slowing Down.
If you are choosing a curriculum in haste, you will possibly wind up realizing it wasn’t a good fit. Take your time to research and find out how to select a curriculum that you will actually use. Slow down and read books about all the various homeschooling methods and find out what seems like the best fit for all of your learners.
Slow down and take the time to determine how each one of your children learn best. If you are scrambling to find curriculum or worksheets to keep them busy or check off the boxes, then you are not getting the most out of your homeschooling journey.
If you are in a hurry looking to fill gaps by joining every activity available, you are sabotaging your homeschool. Allow time for your homeschool to gel and come together. That is not to say that an activity here or a class there is wrong. But you may be missing out on all the enchantment of education that can be cultivated right inside your own home.
Maybe you need to take some time to absorb all the information you are taking in, and perhaps you need to reset your mindset on home education as a whole. Especially if you are a new homeschool mom. Maybe you want to make some time to find a deep appreciation for education in a way that is much different from public school as we know it. You might learn to appreciate home educating in a slower-paced more meaningful way. Whatever stage you are in as a homeschool mom, make sure you have spent time educating yourself about home education and glean all you can.
Ask Yourself Why?
Why are you overcommitting? What is it that you are trying to accomplish, and are you achieving anything by the way you are approaching it? Self-evaluation is priceless. Dig deep and find out if your long-term homeschooling goals align with everything you are committing to and joining? What is the point, and is it worth it?
Picture This.
No rushing from place to place, preferably a couple or few carefully selected commitments each week that don’t cramp your homeschool routine or lifestyle.
Picture a slow-paced morning of reading, listening, and learning. Nature walks, everyone cooking together for lunch, and then slower paced non-pressured learning. Yes, you have a routine, and it will all get done by the day’s end. And if it doesn’t, there is always tomorrow or another day this week. But you have time to enjoy crafts with the kids, sweet snuggles in between activities, and laughs together too.
It has taken me a while to get to this place in my homeschool. A place of learning because we love it – a place of peace within our homeschool. But we did not get there by joining everything; we had to turn down some seemingly great opportunities to cultivate what we have inside our home.
The most critical work for me happens inside the walls of my home. I can’t foster relationships the way I should if I am running everywhere and trying to keep up with all the deadlines imposed by outside obligations.
You need to protect your family time, your relationships, and your homeschool. Over-commitment will steal your joy and peace if you allow it.
Different seasons will require different routines, curriculum, and obligations. But never underestimate the precious time you have with your children at home, cultivating a love of learning.
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