On the first day of homeschool my children brought to me: a pile of books and blissful harmony!
On the fifth day of homeschool my children brought to me: Screaming and fighting! Run and hide away, drink more coffee, please let it be Friday, and patience that I cannot seem to find…
I recently read an article called the 13 Types of Motherhood Days by Finding Joy and it literally slayed me. I shared it on my Facebook page (which you should follow if you aren’t already!) but you can read it here. It is a riot! It got me thinking about our homeschool days and what those may look like. Take a look and don’t forget to pin this post for your homeschool friends!
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1. The “Fierce” Homeschool Day: You’ve Got This!
The first type of homeschool day is the fierce homeschool day. These are the days you are on the ball! You get up before the kids, you have lesson planned, you are on top of their assignments and, low and behold, check everything off! You also manage to keep the house clean, make meals and (gasp) maintain your sanity! These are the days that you live for. They are the days that remind you why you do this and inspire you to keep going. They are the days you cling to LONG after they are passed, the nearly unattainable day you are always striving for. They don’t happen very often and they have a tendency to ruin all your other days with their inconsistent appearances, but they are a treasure when they do happen! You can expect one of these days every month or so, mark it on your calendar!
2. The “Two Steps Behind” Homeschool Day.
The two steps behind homeschool day is much more common. You wake up a bit late and spend the day just trying to catch up. By the time you look at the clock and FINALLY finish school it is 4pm and you have nothing planned for dinner. These are the days for sweat, layer on the anti-perspirant ladies! You are stressed, under-dressed (no time to shower let alone look fashionable), and unimpressed. You can literally feel your blood pressure rising and you feel slightly bitter when you reminisce on a fierce homeschool day gone by. You are SO CLOSE and yet so far from this blissful memory. It is an aggravating day, you can pretty much expect these days every third day or so.
3. The “Pajama” Homeschool Day.
The pajama homeschool day is of epic proportions. These are the days you just LET GO of expectations and lesson plans and goals and just BE. You live in your pajamas, you snuggle on the couch and read books or watch a show together. It is full of snuggling and food and a gentle pace, very low risk on the “sweat scale”. It is the relaxed homeschool day that while it may stress you out that you aren’t in your element of the fierce homeschool day, you are actually living the dream. Pajama homeschool day is comfortable, and when your kids are grown and gone, the days you will miss the most. They are real, they aren’t put together and stringent, they are living life together as a family.
4. The “Hide Away” Homeschool Day.
I wish I didn’t have to mention this day but it needs to be addressed. The hide away homeschool day is the nemesis of the fierce homeschool day. These days are long, endless it seems, and painful. They are full of expectations unmet, disaster lurking in the corners, and (the worst) moments of failure and regret. These are the days you lose your patience and wonder if it will ever come back. They are the days you wonder if you made the right decision, if you are cut out for this. The days you wonder if you should have put the kids in school, are you doing the right thing? The days you yell, the days the kids fight and the toddler clogs the toilet and the preschooler melts down, for the 5th time. The days you feel like a deer in the headlights… fight or flight, can you just run away?
They are the WORST days! If you are having one of these days, I wish I could just take your hand, lead you to the still sweet waters of Jesus where there is PEACE. It does exist! It might no exist on this day, in this moment, in your heart or your spirit. It may feel far and distant and impossible, but there IS peace for you dear mama. I have had these days, we’ve ALL had these days. The biggest mistake we make on these days is pressing on. Raise the white flag my friend! This is the bomb of homeschooling days, find shelter and retreat! These days are blessedly rare. But they do come, whether it be a month in, 2, 6… everything seems to go wrong and you feel like giving up. If you are having one of these days, head on over and read this post: Reality Check… Homeschooling is STUPID Hard!
5. The “Free” Homeschool Day.
This is a “meh” kind of day. I am not talking about “meh” as in dull or boring. I am referring to “meh, who cares! Let’s ditch this joint!” kind of homeschool day! These are the days you have settled into routine and the sun is shining, or something comes up and you just go for it! Maybe you’ve had a rough day or week and you’re just DONE with bookwork. Maybe you just feel adventurous and free and something sparks your interest. Maybe your kids are feeling overwhelmed and you need to mix things up. Maybe some amazing field trip opportunity comes up and you distinctively scratch out the lesson plans and run with it!
These days are your kids’ highlights of homeschooling! These are the days they will remember first and foremost (and I can say that as a second generation homeschooler, I don’t remember the bookwork and lessons, I remember the adventures!). These are when you make memories and the REAL learning happens. Depending on your personality and teaching style, they may be more common or nearly non-existent. If you are a type A personality like me, you may have to put “SPONTANEOUS DAY” on your calendar once a month and make it happen. But they are like a balm to your soul! I strongly encourage you to go with the flow, it is one of the greatest benefits of homeschooling, capitalize on it!
