Being In The Moment
How do I be present, in the moment, while I homeschool, and how do I stay in it? There is no doubt that we sometimes can get caught up in the business of life, parenting, and housekeeping. We may get so caught up that we find ourselves rushing through schooling our kids so that we can run our errands and get to our daily tasks at home.
In my first year, I found myself doing this very thing. I would hurry and get the schooling done so it was out of the way and we could move on to our other tasks for the day. What a huge disservice I was doing for my kids! What an incredible opportunity I had that I was, at times, rushing through.
When I took a step back and really reassessed how I was approaching things, I felt convicted. If you homeschool from kindergarten all the way up to twelfth grade, you gain an extra three years with your children, compared to institutional school-going families. Three years! Let that sink in! Here I am rushing through that time. I could not let that happen anymore. I needed to be in the moment every time.
As I began to make the changes I needed to, our homeschooling experience changed dramatically. Our days went fine before, but with the changes I made, they went much smoother, easier, and my kids were thriving even better than they were before. They were grasping the material I was teaching much better, and it was a more pleasant experience. Now that it has been a few years after making these changes, our homeschooling experience truly has transformed.
Listen, our house chores, errands, and to-do lists will always be there. There will always be house cleaning that needs to be done, laundry to be folded, dishes to be washed, and straightening up that needs to be done. The time you have at home with your kids will not always be there. In the blink of an eye, they will be grown and venturing out into the world on their own.
What I encourage you to remember is, to make your kids a priority first. Do not rush through those three extra glorious years! Be in the moment teaching your kids. Learn with them and make wonderful memories doing it! It is okay if you do not get to those dishes or fold that pile of laundry. It will be there tomorrow. Time is one of the most mistreated and mishandled things in society. Time is quick. Time is precious, and time is priceless. So, use it wisely, and choose to be in the moment!