Reality: It was a big adjustment!

I remember before I got married and had children it was a full-time job to make my life work. Getting married and running a house added a whole new level of complexity. Then there were children—an entirely new set of adjustments. So, I will never know why I thought it was no big deal to add “teacher” to my list of responsibilities. It was a big deal. 

It was not a bad deal. It was not a deal breaker. But it was a big deal. The single most significant change for me was the amount of free, discretionary time I had to myself. It pretty much ceased to exist. I was not free to take off shopping whenever I felt like it. I was not free to go back to bed after the older kids left for school. I was really never alone! My life became focused in a way it never had been before. 

Those are very real problems that need to be addressed and worked through. Every homeschooling mom needs to be honest about how much they can handle. They need to find meaningful fulfillment and ways to make sure they are taking care of themselves. Luckily for me, planning and preparing curriculum was very fulfilling. I replaced some of my previous hobbies with school hobbies. I learned to enjoy outings with my children like I used to enjoy shopping trips with my friends. Networking with other homeschooling moms was literally a lifesaver for me. As those friendships developed, I gained a lot of emotional support and encouragement that I needed. 

The second most significant change for me was that I could not do it all anymore. Something had to give. On a day we did more school, I did less cleaning. When I was in the middle of a big school project, there was no time left for my sewing or home decorating projects. I had always planned to go to grad school when my youngest child got into school. That was fine until my youngest never went to school. I never went back to grad school.  

I am making it sound like I missed out on a lot. I actually did not. I missed out on a little, but what I did miss out on ended up not being nearly so important to me as the advantages, experiences and fulfillment I gained.  I would never trade the close relationships we developed as a family. I would not trade all the happy memories we made. I would not trade the flexibility we had to come and go whenever and where ever we pleased with out the typical school schedule constraints. Most of all, I would not trade the tremendous sense of purpose it provided, knowing that I was doing something to shape generations to come. 

All that said, I have to be honest. It still required adjustments as I went along. In life, there is always an opportunity cost to everything you do. By choosing one thing, you have to forgo another. Anything worthwhile generally requires some sacrifice. So, do not be discouraged when things get a bit hard. Keep plugging and focus on what you are gaining, not just what you are sacrificing or giving up.