The Homeschooling Edition
Not a lot of time for blogging today—thus the title of this post—but I wanted to share with you an area of my life where I could use much improvement.
Because I am just that humble.
with your letter being crumpled. Are you okay with that?
It’s called “letting go” in some circles, and in others, “overcoming one’s perfectionist tendencies.”
I call it not freaking out all the time…
merely thinking about it. The six-year-old is about to fall off her stool
while the terrorist is charging.
…and it isn’t easy for a perfectionist like me.
For example, this whole business of trying to homeschool while simultaneously parenting a toddler. Do you have one of these cute little creatures invading your classroom? Then you know! It’s insane! It’s like trying not to go insane while being insanely tried.
I mean, really. You know there’s a terrorist in your midst…
…but you never know when he’s going to strike.
It’s like going on vacation in Afghanistan.
Only our terrorists are cuter.
The fact that they’re only, like, 12 inches tall makes it easy to put up with them, and it makes it easier—in theory—to let the little things go. Note, for example, in the above photo that he is using a dry erase marker to color his picture. This bugged me—really bugged me—but I decided to put up with it because he was happily preoccupied (!) while I taught Math.
Math is important.
It’s good for me to focus.
Sometimes, though, he won’t let me focus and I need to be okay with getting a lot less done. I need to be okay with letting the 5th grader do some of her work on her own and stop—gosh darn it—micromanaging everything she does. Or, conversely, I need to send him away to watch some PBS Kids so that I can focus on English with my 3rd grader.
In a perfect world, I’d have activities galore planned out for him…but (surprise!) my world’s not perfect and neither am I.
Surprise.
This revelation has been very helpful to me as a homeschooling mom.
I hear ya! My Little Man is 22 months and in to EVERYTHING. He climbs. He opens doors. He opens drawers. He draws on anything he can. *sigh* It's never ending. I try to keep him busy with his own "work". I bought him dry erase crayons and a little board and one of those magnet draw pads which keeps him occupied for all of 10 mins. if I'm lucky. Thank goodness he is a good napper and goes down at noon and usually will sleep for 2 hours. That is when we tackle the bigger subjects that my kids need more hand-holding on.
Were you at my house this week?
We can't do PBS kids though, because the kindergartner and first grader are gone then too.
Great post!
I have left at home two high schoolers, a 7th grader, a 4th grader and an almost 5yo. I thought I had it pretty good – kids spread out (although it does make it harder to combine lessons) and no more toddlers on the horizon of waning fertility. But my almost 5yo decided to not let me go easy into that good night. He loves school. Wants me to sit next to him while he does pages and pages of workbook exercises. He wants to learn to read, dang it! No, I cannot go help one of his siblings. Not until he is ALL DONE for the day. Those youngest…. (wink).
You might enjoy a post that Melody wrote this week at Blossoming Joy. It was very timely for me being that it was our first week back.:) If you have a spare minute or 10, it's worth a read. Here's the link: http://mamaslittleditty.blogspot.com/2011/09/homeschooling-what-to-do-with-babies.html….Oh, and if you don't want to click over because "you don't need another list of what you can do to manage your toddler"…let's just say, she's offering some perspective. Oh, and if you don't think you need anymore "perspective", I still think it's worth a click. So now do you get that I REALLY want you to read this article?! Hee, hee!;)
Tell ya what, Grace. YOU print out the article and bring it HERE. We can discuss it over a glass of wine!
yep – same thing here. I'll commiserate with ya.
And…can't put PBS on here either. It's like a giant vacuum that sucks even the teens in..maybe if I find an old Barney video or something 🙂
To clarify: I do not PERMIT the older kids to leave the classroom. I send George away with whomever has finished the subject at hand.
Because otherwise, yes, it is like a giant vacuum. Schluuurrrrp! I'm laughing to think of it.
Our toddler used the glue stick as lip balm on our first day of school…
Margaret, I don't stop by here often enough. I always get a good dose of love and laughter coming to visit you. PBS Kids — that's a good thing. I lovelove your homeschooling room. just so bright and condusive to learning.
Amen! Again, why do us perfectionist mothers homeschool??!!
Any way, thanks for the post because today…I was there. Except it was the squirmy 6 month old thrashing, grabbing, tossing and rolling on ME and womb-sibling. Nothing else would do…
And the first grader wouldn't stay put in his seat either today.
But then I think of things like other superwoman homeschooling moms who have many more children to school/ 'terrorists' running about…but then I also think of next year and how potentially hectic that might be.
And then the perfectionist in me just stops thinking because I get very anxious….yikes!! 🙂
Glad you once again proved to the rest of us that you are human, Margaret!
I have a 2 and 4 year old who are like this. Mostly they entertain each other, but when there's a fight or they get bored – things get super difficult.
And I have no idea how I'm supposed to have time to plan "toddler activities" when I have the monumental task of planning the entire education of the older children!
I'm still relatively new at homeschooling, but I have found that the most difficult part of it all is the children who are not school age! I think there's no solution here – except a lot of "dying to self." I hope you'll share your wisdom if you figure it out!
This has been a serious learning curve for me this year! My "terrorist" is 8 months old and crawls! Or she is wanting to nurse CONSTANTLY! I am trying ever so hard to let go but it has been a challenge!
So little George was actually just sleeping in that pic the other day? You didn't slip something into his sippy cup so you could teach? Just kidding! I have a 2y.o. and a 3 y.o. myself. PBS kids is good. And if a big brother wants a break? "Sure, if you play with a toddler."
OK, not usually one to try to "top" you, my dear… BUT.
Want to know what I had to deal with today?
We have recess for 20 minutes mid-morning, and 4yo Crash needed his bicycle w/training wheels out of the garage, so Liza helped him get it out, and promptly shut the door of the garage… leaving our 5yo English setter-mix in the garage behind them. For FOUR HOURS.
What that dog did in four hours would take all our collective little terrorists a week to do.
She knocked all my husband's organized bins of nuts/bolts/screws down, breaking a couple organizers and spewing those nuts/bolts/screws all over the place. Toppled everything off of his workbench, including the CD/radio and a clock. Knocked over a small bowl of WD40 that had something soaking in it, leaving her oily footprints all over the workbench and floor. Knocked over a few empty garbage cans. Shredded the wood between the panes of glass of two windows and one garage door, as she was trying to "dig" her way out of the garage. And finally, scratched the hood (and front end) of my husbands burgundy car completely down to the metal… apparently standing on the car to "dig" through his garage door.
Yes, I have been in your shoes with my little terorist Crash… but after today, I'll take him over today's events, any ol' day!
Yep, my little terrorist rides in on his zippy musical zebra. The highschooler and I roll our eyes! He looks at us and flips the music off, smiles at us, then flips the music back on and zips out of the room. Gotta remember to hide 'it' before Monday morning.
PBS isn't an option as our TV was removed. I'm not sure the terrorist would sit long enough, anyway!
You know those times when we ask ourselves WHY we homeschool? We wonder if the kids are getting what they need educationally and socially. And really, God wants us to do it to sanctify ourselves, and whatever the kids get is a bonus!
This is awesome!! I couldn't stop laughing at the pictures. I am contemplating homeschooling next year and have a little *terrorist* as well so seeing this made me realize it's ok and It's ok not to be anal when homeschooling 🙂 Food for thought: ) PS: I love your blog!