Some days are great homeschooling days. Other days, there are a lot of tears. Some are the kids’, and some are mine. Today was one of those days.
I knew it was going to be a harder school day. My son had some extra work to do since he didn’t get it done the day before. So he got up a little earlier and we got a good start. We were moving along pretty well until…math. Then everything came to a screeching halt.
The work wasn’t hard; he just wasn’t in a math mood. But I was determined we were going to get it done. What should have taken at most a half an hour took an hour and a half. And he still didn’t finish.
I would like to say we are one of those homeschooling families that have it all together — that my kids get up early, do their chores, and work hard through their schoolwork until they finish. But we’re not. Some days my kids struggle, some days I struggle, and some days we all struggle.
It’s on those days I need to step outside, take a breath, and remember why we’re homeschooling. When my son has trouble with math, we can take the time he needs to catch on. When he’s having a hard day and learning just isn’t easy, we can switch gears and try something else. When he needs to stop and take a break and regroup, he can do just that. He won’t slip through the cracks, because I won’t let him.
Yes, we have days when we cry, and we have a lot of good days, too. And while I am thankful for the good days, it’s the bad days that make homeschooling so worthwhile.