Mommy Talk Show Candid Conversation with a TV Mom
I have homeschooled my four kids for the past four years. And this year, I ate my humble pie, called it quits, and registered my kids for school. And the truth is, it was one of the most liberating decisions I’ve made.
Looking back, I realize I fell in love with homeschooling the way I fell in love with my first boyfriend. I fell in love with the package, but not the product. The philosophy of home education was brilliant in my mind. We wanted more for our kids than they would receive in school. Bilingualism. Free play. Extra-curricular activities that didn’t suck precious little time together. Our kids would be set up academically to be world movers. Who doesn’t want that for their kids? I fell in love with homeschooling like I fell in love with love itself. And then I endured four years of tumultuous relationship.
Picture a young mother with her small, devoted children, sitting around the kitchen table with books open wide, feasting together on the delectable knowledge spread out before them. She smiles at her brood, and then… no, that’s not what happened. Ever. Picture instead one child starting the day with a revolution. And then picture a second child embracing each learning activity with the enthusiasm of a sloth. And then add two other children adding the volume and energy of two additional human beings to the already ensuing chaos. Every day. And then imagine their mother, putting out one fire, lighting another, calming, correcting and corralling her gaggle of kids through reading, writing and arithmetic.
Did I mention I have a very limited amount of energy? I do! And the reality of this finally sunk in. I was in love with the idea of homeschooling, but not with what it actually was. I had enough energy every day to do the very minimum. We were getting by. We were doggy-paddling. It finally hit me:
If I were a different person, and if my children were different people, homeschooling would definitely be amazing.
And so I quit. I quit trying to be someone I wasn’t. I quit trying to expect my kids to change their temperaments. I embraced who we were, and I sent them off to school. School, where our days will be filled to overflowing, our moments together short, and I will focus on being my children’s mother, trusting in an amazing team of teachers to focus on their education.
I’m in the “let somebody else teach my kids” camp. A: trained teachers will do a far better job than me. B: I don’t have the patience for that.
I would never have tried homeschooling for many reasons but mostly because of all the work involved. I give any parent credit for trying that at home.
I thought about homeschooling for a minute and then decided that it wasn’t for me. I want the best for my kids, and I think the best is in a classroom. I recognize that for some parents it is absolutely what’s right for them. I am happy that you were able to do it for a while and then allowed yourself to choose something else
The great thing about home schooling, in my opinion, is that is it an option for some who seek it out. I personally wouldn’t do it but have seen more than a few say they like it.
I love this post. Homeschooling is not easy, but you are amazing for trying. There’s something beautiful by focusing on just being a mother to them. After all, a mother is always their first teacher.