Finding Rest as a Homeschool Mom

It is SO important to find rest as a homeschool mom. Without it, we become burnt out. We begin to homeschool out of negligence, we no longer find enjoyment in our calling as a mother, and our family begins to crack as a result.

The feeling was overwhelming. I didn’t know which way to turn. I was needed in 20 directions and running myself ragged. Homeschooling had become a chore. Caring for my family was not something I even wanted to do. I needed a break, but had no way out. What had I done to myself?

This is how I felt last spring. Burnout had hit me hard. I knew it was coming, I had tried to slow down and say no. But didn’t realize how bad I had let myself get. Then, I made it to the Great Homeschool Convention. That weekend saved my homeschool. It saved my sanity. And I honestly can’t thank God enough for opening my eyes before it was too late.

Homeschool Moms Have a 24/7 Job

Homeschool moms have a job that never ends. Literally. It is the ONE job that is 24/7. Yes, all moms are on call all the time, but for most, they leave the house to work. Or, if they stay home, eventually the kids go to school. They are allowed some aspect of rest or time away from their kids.

NOT homeschool moms. We are around our kids all the time. We have the role of teacher, educator, principal, etc on top of the roles all other moms play. It is a full-time job. Yet many of us are also juggling working from home, church functions, volunteer work, etc as well.

We MUST Find Rest

Because we are on high alert 24/7 it is SO important to find rest as a homeschool mom. Without it, we become burnt out. We begin to homeschool out of negligence, we no longer find enjoyment in our calling as a mother, and our family begins to crack as a result. Believe me, I have been there!

Where Does Rest Come From? 

For me, rest came from a simple thing called 2-4. This simple tip SAVED my homeschool. You can read more about it in this post.

In addition to 2-4, I believe our rest comes from allowing ourselves margin. We need to begin saying no to other people so we can give our family, and our homeschool our best yes. This is not easy to do, but evaluating our commitments, and praying about our activities can be a huge help in learning to say NO so we can say YES to what really matters.

We also need to allow ourselves margin in our homeschool. For us, that is flex Fridays. Friday is our “unschool” day. All we do is Math, and the rest of the time is free interest. The kids can practice piano, cook, take an art class, go on a field trip, co-op class, or something else. It is FREE. This also means that if we have an unplanned occurrence on another day that we are FREE to make that time up on Friday.

Moms, we have got to recognize the reality that we CANNOT do it all. And we don’t have to! We need to find rest as a homeschool mom. We need to allow ourselves to say no, to give ourselves margin, and to have a small rest time every day. Our homeschools need this. Our kids need this.  Our family needs this.

 WE need rest as a homeschool mom.

Will you take it?