Homeschooling has been one of the most exciting adventures I have been on so far. There have been moments of extreme joy—seeing my daughter read her first sentences aloud—and times of tears—keeping all three children focused. The tears of a homeschool mom aren’t just about sadness though. There are plenty of times tears occur when we are overjoyed and extremely happy with the accomplishments of our children.
Happy Tears of a Homeschool Mom
Being home with my children is a blessing. It is a privilege and honor to homeschool my children. Seeing them learning, playing, and working together is a great reminder that the job of moms and dads is to “Train up a child in the way he should go” If we do our job correctly as parents, we will cry happy tears because “when he [our child] is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
I think the moments that bring the most happy tears are those when my children put into action Bible lessons we have learned. In our curriculum, we have been memorizing verses for the past several years. I love when they are able to recognize verses we’ve studied when we are at church or when watching programs on RightNow Media—or when they see something that doesn’t align with Biblical teachings and bring it to our attention.
When a Homeschool Mom Cries Sad Tears
Our middle child is going into the sixth grade. This was really brought home to me when we were signing him up for Vacation Bible School and bringing him to our church’s youth group. He is no longer my little baby. In fact, I only have seven more years homeschooling him left. While that seems like so long, it really isn’t. Especially since the last ten years of his life have flown by. I admit to crying when I was working out the years he has left in our homeschool.
Tears of Frustration
When homeschooling multiple children, there will probably be moments when frustration happens. Keeping everyone occupied and learning at the same time is difficult, even on the best of days. That read-aloud that you loved as a child? It turns out your children don’t like the story at all. The science experiment you spent days preparing flops, and you don’t have enough supplies to do the experiment a second time.
When a Homeschool Mom is Too Busy
I don’t know about you but I find I am busy all the time. I have stopped saying, “When things slow down, I’ll …” because things never truly slow down. Homeschooling, homemaking, working, and volunteering fill my hours to overflowing. It really doesn’t seem like there are enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. There are ways to alleviate the tears that come when we are too busy. Here are a few ideas:
- Create a meal plan to help organize your breakfast, lunch, and dinner time and keep you on budget.
- Enlist the help of the entire family for chores.
- Simplify your homeschool lessons by combining as many subjects as you can.
- Outsource homeschool subjects that you find difficult to teach.
- If you work from home, set a timer for your work hours.
- Don’t be afraid to say no to helping others if you don’t have the time or energy.
Finding Hope and Happiness
Where do you find hope when you are crying tears of sadness or frustration? I encourage you to seek comfort in the Bible.
“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24).
HomeschoolingFinds.com Author
This article has been written by Kristen Heider. She is the Business Building Team Manager and the Social Media Manager of The Old Schoolhouse®. She shares more about her family’s homeschooling journey at A Mom’s Quest Teach.