3 Causes and Cures for the Homeschool Blues

Whether it’s the change in the weather, the humdrum days of every day school, or if you are just questioning the decision to homeschool, I am hoping by sharing 3 causes and cures for the homeschool blues that you will be rejuvenated and inspired to put the spark back into your day.

Look at these 3 causes and cures for the homeschool blues:

• Cause: Feeling Unproductive.  Have you ever had one of those days where you poured out every ounce of teacher know how into teaching your kids math or maybe sight words for the past few months only to have them act like they have never received any instruction before?

Of course, it always seemed to happen to me when the Mr. was interrogating questioning the boys about our “”productive” day.  In the beginning of our homeschool journey, the Mr. was like a lot of new homeschooling dads and that is they want to see instant results. The frustrating thing is that I too wanted to see homeschool progress.

It just feels like your time has been wasted and it’s enough to kill your homeschool joy.

• Cure: Slow Down or Take a Break Altogether.  Whether your child is struggling with learning what you have slaved over the last few months teaching him or whether you have tears over your lack of creative ways to teach him, everybody can benefit from a break.

Many years, I realized that no matter how hard or creative I tried to be in teaching something that was not clicking with one of my sons that progress eventually comes.

It is very hard to be patient and wait on that time period, but it was harder on me to question my teaching ability and then to drain my enthusiasm for teaching my kids afterward.

Nobody like the teacher mom that showed up the next morning after I had one of those I-am-going-to-do-it-anyway days.

Though the problem won’t go away, taking a temporary breather will bring some relief and sometimes my most creative moments came out of a change of pace.

• Cause: Waiting on “Normal” Homeschool.  A time consuming and endless hunt is waiting on the perfect circumstance or routine to school.  If you think about it procrastination really is a pursuit of perfection.

Sure, I would love to have all things organized in my home before we started for the day.  But what I have learned is that waiting on things to settle down or waiting for perfect circumstances never really happens.

What can happen is that we can get further and further behind in what we want to accomplish for the day and then discontentment sets in along with the homeschooling blues.

• Cure: The Secret is Contentment.  Sometimes circumstances won’t change for a while and it can be tough to stay contented during an extended time.

Maybe you have a long term illness or are taken care of a sick child or aging parents.  Life happenings and the every day life of a homeschooler can’t be separated.

During my journey,I have taken care of my mom who has a long term illness now, have taken care of my sister and her kids while she recovered in a long term care facility after getting out of ICU, cared for my husband in ICU after he had his heart attack and other wise cried alongside other homeschoolers who had very devastating circumstances.

{Because I love my sister, I would prefer you see this picture of her when she was out of ICU and on the road to recovery.}

{Though we spent much time at the hospital, our children learned lessons like the preciousness of life, family and that being together during times when things weren’t “normal” is what counts.}

Through it all I realized that I was the one learning.  Learning to be content with making homeschool work for my circumstances.  Sure, some years, a lot of my homeschooling years have gone much like I planned, but many did not.

Benjamin Franklin said: “Contentment makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor” and there is value in adopting that quote.  By not waiting or striving after a perfect homeschool day, then progress happens.

Unpleasant circumstances can strike at anytime, but being happy and grateful for the privilege of homeschooling and being with my children has always helped me to dwell on what I have and no worry about what I can’t control.

Whether we schooled later in the day, listened to audio cds I grabbed while traveling back and forth to the hospital each day or whether we simply set up school in a hospital waiting room,  I have learned that consistency and learning flexibility is the key to contentment.

Homeschooling is the pursuit of progress, however measured it comes, and not perfection.

•  Cause: Physical and Emotional Drain. We probably don’t talk about this part of homeschooling enough.  But the physical and emotional drain of homeschooling is enough to want us to lose the battle.
• Cure: Sometimes we need others to help.  By nature, we homeschoolers are an independent bunch and might feel vulnerable when asking others for help.   We may need help with the house or help in our school.

What I found though is that at times when we need help the most that we tend to isolate ourselves.  We may think somehow by getting off someplace by our self, it may be just what we need.  It may be, if we just need time in the day to catch up on rest.

However, I have found that an emotional drain seems to intensify when I am alone to fester it.  By including my husband in on those feelings, he has been able to take the boys away for an afternoon so that I can find time to physically rest.  Too, though sharing with him my fears and frustrations somehow eases the load.

By nature you know men want to solve the problem and though I do a majority of the teaching like most homeschoolers, he always has great gems of advice to share to keep my negative thinking in place.

Too, don’t underestimate the value of true homeschooling friends.  Sometimes we just need a sympathetic listener.

When I have unloaded my deepest fears, which I have kept pushed way down, to my closest dear friends, I realize they too have the same homeschooling struggles.  I am not so alone anymore.

Beating the homeschool blues is inextricably tied in to how you view your homeschooling circumstances.  Don’t hold back tears when needed because it just shows that we value our job as homeschooling educators and we need an emotional release.

Through tears comes strength and a renewed determination to put one foot forward and try it again.

Though we are not completely able to block out the homeschool blues because it is part of the homeschooling journey, we are more prepared in not allowing it to steal our homeschool joy.

You know I love ya,

 

Grab some more go juice to flame the dying embers.

Biggest Challenges to Homeschooling

Taking a Hit Doesn’t Mean to Quit– Homeschooling Through Crisis

Cultivating the Desire to Homeschool

Easy Ways to Break Out of a Homeschool Rut

Have You Learned the Secret to Homeschool Joy?

Making Each Day Count When Homeschooling

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