Hopefully, you have already had a chance to listen to season one, episode eight of The Family Made Mom podcast. If not, please take the time to do so by clicking here. It is a prelude to this guide.
Parents, we will not be overwhelmed by what we see or hear from anyone else's children. While your neighbor may have a child prodigy, you may not and do not have to. Personally, I refuse to subject my children to abusive behaviors of making them feel less than because they do not meet someone else's expectations.
Homeschool is our opportunity as parents to pour our culture, heritage, love, and graces into our children. Teach them about their heritage. Who do they come from? What does your family lineage represent? I come from a line of people who are strong, intelligent, hard and smart workers. They are creative. I teach my children that we have Native Americans on both sides, Irish on my father's side, and African Americans on both sides. Then I teach them the differences and similarities of each culture and what makes them beautiful. This opens the door for history. I share how each culture came to what we now know as the United States of America. I educate them on the good, bad, and the ugly. I make sure that they understand that the world was never without fault nor will it ever be; yet, we get the opportunity to smear it with beauty because of what's inside of us.
Ty, that seems like a lot. Don't you have a five year old? Sure, I do. My five year old has never been addressed as a a baby and we will not start. We make life plain enough so that she can understand as well. What does this teach them? It instills their identity from start to present. It gives them a sense of solid foundation and confirms that they have a reason to respect their lineage, their parents, family, and most importantly themselves. We are losing respect because the foundation has fallen. There are no pillars holding up our young. Share with them who they are. Remind them that the ones before them stood for something so that they don't fall for anything.
Whoo! That's just a start of the day like a morning during prayer, bible readings, and breakfast. When I share about the Bible, I relate it to family. Then, we have a breakout session and I may read a book that falls in line. I may pass the book around the table and have everyone read out loud to teach them to speak loud and clear with confidence. It also helps me to see where they are on their reading levels. They will get better as they read. No one makes fun of anyone (prayerfully) and we move to discussion about what we read and how we can apply it to life. In my house, this will be an ice breaker into something funny or annoying and we'll go to the next subject.
This may be math. Side note: I cannot stand the way they do math today. I'm back.
During our math lesson, we will all discuss what math is and how it applies to things we do today. If it has to do with fractions, I may include a cooking lesson for some of them (I'm not ready for six people in my kitchen). This lesson will show measuring and how it looks to be part of a whole, etc. What types of things might I cook? Maybe cauliflower pizza so that I can teach about textures and substitutions for math, science, and nutrition. This will also teach about kitchen safety, cutting and how to properly use utensils. (My children have been cooking and cutting since they were about four years old and have taken many different cooking and gardening lessons because I'm old school). I may even do cupcakes so that we can see why I like to lick the bowl. LOL! Ok, ok! This also shows them how to measure.
After this, I will either be sleepy or ready for a break. We will do lunch and go outside. This trip outside may just be them playing with their friends. We may tour a park as we yearly do a tour of parks (of course this was before COVID-19). By the time we come back in, we may read, play a game, watch TV, or their father will take them to the gym. Prayerfully, everyone is somewhere so I can take a nap. I can honestly say that teaching five people wears me out.
With them being in public school, they will have many questions if we keep them in public school. These questions leave me with questions because I am not always friends with what I am looking at. I do send teachers random emails expressing sincere gratitude for their specialty in math. I remind them that I hate math and that I am not a math teacher. I send them funny selfies of me with my head on the table or me pounding on the floor after their math lessons. Yep! I'm THAT Mom! You can grab the shirt, too. Ha!
Pace yourselves, Parents. My style may not fit yours. I am a very relaxed person. I am timely and I like rules, but I do not believe we were created to be overwhelmed by time. Let's prepare our children to be successful by praying about what they need and asking God for the strategy to help them win. He's my guide.
Truth moment: I get overwhelmed by homeschooling because I have told myself that I am responsible for their success academically. That's not the truth but it's not always easy to shake that weight off my back. I get upset when they don't understand something and I think it is my fault. That is not always true. I take days off because if I don't I might be in the looney bin. I don't feel bad about it at all.
Why did you share that? It's the truth for me and it may be your truth during all of this. There are things that may go real bad during homeschool and they are not all your fault. Do not internalize everything that happens throughout your day. You will literally go nuts. Who can you go to in that moment? Take a step away. Cry it out. Journal that moment. You're right! It may not be that easy every time. There may be times when school stops for the day and you call a friend who comes over to help. This friend may bring her children to play with yours so you can cry it out together. You may call your spouse and your spouse may come to your side. You may get in your prayer closet and allow God to wash you from all the hurt, pain, and shame. Whatever you do, release it! No, I mean it. Release it!
That hurt and pain is there to set you back because you have more to give. Sometimes pain brings opportunities that you were not aware were there. What type of opportunities? Listen to "The Pains of Parenting" in episode seven of season one. We were not meant to carry heavy weights. We are not superwoman or superman. NO! That is not true. Get free of that and keep ridding yourself of that myth so that you can live and continue to pursue excellence and not perfection. There is difference.
This homeschooling experience will make you better in so many ways. You will grow. You will be stretched and you will overcome so many obstacles. You will do it as a family and your family will rise up and call you blessed. Please enjoy the guide that comes along with this blog post. Email me or leave a message on the About page. I want to hear from you. We are in this together and there is more to come.
Be blessed always
Ty, The Family Made Mom