Today, I am happy to welcome Dawn Cygiel as a guest writer on Growing Up Homeschooled. Dawn is one of my readers and a very active part of our Facebook page, always sharing encouraging words and giving me the giggles. Since she is a seasoned homeschooler, I asked her to share a little advice with the rest of us. As I read her post, I was very encouraged and I hope her words affirm you too.
We all have experienced that feeling of complete failure when our day goes off schedule. We visualize our young sitting at the table waiting to be enlightened with their pencils in hand and all attention on us. This episode of the Brady Bunch, however, does not exist in real life. Your “Bobby” has just spilled his milk on the floor, “Cindy” is screaming from the bathroom that she needs help, and “Alice” is nowhere to be found.
Welcome to the “Real” Brady Bunch…. Where our hair does not look like Carol and our situations do not end in 30 minutes.
So, what do we do when life veers off course?
First, just take a breath and remember we are only human. God expects us to do the best we can. We are far more critical of ourselves than God is. Our frustration is due to the fact that “WE” want things to be perfect. “WE” are on a schedule, and for some of us, our schedule is in stone and not to be messed with. When the bottom drops out of your plans, it is a subtle reminder that “WE” are not in control. Once that thought officially enters your mind, it is then time to take it to God and hand over “our” plans and expectations and allow him to be in control of our homeschool.
Second, just move on through the day. You may not get everything you wanted done. You really need to step back and ask yourself, “So what?” Will the world stop rotating or life as we know it change? No! Just plan to pick up the next day where you left off. When we hold onto the thought that we are failing, our attitude changes and then we affect everyone around us and not in a positive way.
Each of us has decided to homeschool for different reasons. However, the common ground for all of us was the simple belief that we could offer our children a great education in a safe environment. That is our one true goal each and every day. The world only becomes chaotic only when we lose focus of what our true goals are. A great day should not be considered a success based on the amount of math our child finished, the number of pages he read, or that he is not glowing green after the science experiment we just conducted. If at the end of the day our child still has a love of learning, then we are a great success.
Thank you so much Dawn for your insights and encouragement. I know I needed to read that and trust that many others will appreciate your sincerity too.
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