Our Imperfect Homeschool

Think you’re failing at homeschooling? What you don’t realize is that we all have imperfect homeschools. Here are a few confessions that this imperfect homeschool mom wants to share with you today! Some are easy and humorous, some I’m a little ashamed of, but they are all things that I am sure some homeschool mom out there understands!

Our homeschool group hosted a curriculum swap and share last week and while chatting about the curriculum we got on the topic of our day-to-day lives. One of the moms confessed that they had got very little done in school that week, another mentioned that she had actually napped when the kids did, and I shared that outside of one day we had done only language arts and math for school that week. That is when another mom spoke up and said, “Why don’t you share THAT on your blog?”.

She didn’t mean anything negative by it, she was just sharing her observations. But, here is the thing, this space where you are reading is here to encourage you, not to make you feel bad about the days that you nap, ditch school, or when your husband comes home to a messy home. The truth is, I am imperfect, I fail, and I have faults. All bloggers do, and the spaces we share with you are just small glimpses into our lives.

So, here are a few confessions that this imperfect homeschool mom wants to share with you today! Some are easy and humorous, some I’m a little ashamed of, but they are all things that I am sure some imperfect homeschool mom out there understands!

I don’t like playing with my kids

I know, moms who stay home are supposed to love playing with their kids, making fun crafts and doing messy activities right? Well, that is not me. If it is organized, structured play-sign me up! But, imaginary play-not so much…. I can handle messy stuff if it is educational, but I detest arts and crafts. I have like zero creative bones in my body. I have had to come to terms that I am never going to be the homeschool mom I want to be, but the homeschool mom I am? She’s okay too!

I am sometimes jealous of moms who work outside the home

I love being able to work from home. I love being home with my kids. But sometimes it would be nice to have “me” time. It would be nice to get to go to the store alone or be able to leave the house every day and have adult interaction.

My house is not always clean

I used to have this cleaning schedule, before child #3 I followed it fairly well. Since child #3 has come along, my house is honestly barely “kept up” my husband complains (silently) about crumbs on the floor and dishes in the sink. There was a day and time when I would be embarrassed by this, but honestly, I am not anymore. I read a great book by Jill Savage and it really changed my perspective on having the “perfect” home. I also almost always have at least one basket of clothes in my room waiting to be folded; spray on wrinkle release has become my best friend 😉

Sometimes I’m a frumpy homeschool mom

I don’t want to be, but sometimes, it just happens. There are days where my uniform is a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. For a while, it was so bad that when my kids woke up and I was dressed, they’d ask where we were going.  I’m not condoning being a frumpy homeschool mom ALL the time, but we all have days and seasons where it’s TOTALLY okay.

Sometimes full school days just don’t happen

 This actually usually happens at least one day a week.  It’s the real reason why we started Flex Friday. We may have errands to run, I may have a deadline with work, or my house may be a wreck. On these days we get the basics done, these are our “Math and Language Arts” days. Some weeks we skip a day of school altogether, and some days Little House on the Prairie counts as history (total historical fiction, right?)!

I don’t have the patience to homeschool

Many times as I am walking through Wal-Mart with my three kids. Someone will ask the kids why they are not in school. It never fails that when my kids respond “We’re homeschooled”  said person will say to me,  “Oh, bless your heart. I could never do that. I don’t have the patience”. I typically smile and respond, “Neither do I”. Because I don’t. Homeschooling doesn’t require patience, it requires the ability to put self aside. To breathe, and realize you can’t have it all. But, patience, NOPE. My kids will tell you that I’m like the most impatient person in the world.

Chances are you relate to at least one of these. You’ve probably also had someone say something like this to you,  “My kids don’t listen to me”, or “I could never do that”, or “Your perfect for that, but not me, it would be chaos”. What I don’t think people realize is that no homeschool family is perfect. We all have imperfect homeschool days. These happen more often than not.

On any given homeschool day, at least one, if not more of the following happens.

• “Stop” is said at least a dozen times every morning during circle time.
• The nice and neat schoolroom? A disaster every day by dinner time.
• At least once a week we start school with papers still needing to be graded from the day before. My kids remind me of this with a sigh every time it happens.
• I wonder if I am messing up my kids. Especially when they don’t “get it” after the third, fifth or seventh time.
• “Girls, are you done? You need to stop talking” is said every day while they are supposed to be doing grammar.
• Tears happen. Sometimes from me, sometimes from them.
• The books are pitched because I have a deadline to meet for work.
• We go out to the grocery store and one of the kids display the “stereotypical” homeschooler behavior.
• “Focus!”is said at least 5 times a day during Math.
• My kids show they are smarter than I am, by sharing “We already knew that from Wild Kratts” during Science.
• Sometimes, Wild Kratts counts as Science.
• I yell.
• “Hurry up, we have to start school” is said during chores. Every. Single. Day.
• I ask myself how in the world can I do this through high school?
• I am too busy some days to even write a to do list, never the less actually DO what needs to be done.
• When my kids got their cavities filled, I counted it as a dental health day.
• Dinner may consist of frozen pizza and corn dogs more often than my menu would admit…

The truth is homeschooling is hard, and no matter how many times you think that “perfect” homeschool family has it. You are wrong! Very wrong! Most homeschool moms will admit their imperfection, and when you tell them about your bad day, most will hug you and tell you that you’re awesome and doing just fine. Homeschool moms get each other. So, don’t be afraid to share your imperfect homeschool days with other homeschoolers. If anything, it will make them feel more normal!

So, the next time you are with your homeschool group, remember to keep it real! Share your imperfections, your bad days, and your imperfect homeschools. By doing that we can encourage each other that we don’t need to be perfect!

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