Homeschooling Perseverance

Are you crying yet? Are you noticing the yellow bus rolling down your street at 6 a.m. with tempting eyes? Have you started seeing more hair in your brush or drain? Have you forgotten to eat and look like you are still trying to roll out of the bed? Do you have coffee stains on your clothes and carpet and teeth? Do you think you might need to check into an overnight respite?

Keep Going, Don't stop!

If you answered yes to most of these, you must be homeschooling your children. It might be your first year or you might be thinking it is your last year. Did no one tell you the truth about homeschooling or maybe you believed it would be different for you? Let me give you some advice and encouragement: You are going to have to learn to PERSEVERE and always count your BLESSINGS.

My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  (James 1:3-6)

If you are wondering perseverance is also translated as "endurance" and "patience." As a homeschooler you are going to have to learn to dig in with sheer determination, to ignore the nagging temptations of "quitting" that the enemy is tossing your direction throughout the day, and take time to pause before God to remember the reason you are homeschooling.

I don't want to always make homeschooling sound so dreadful. I promise I would have NEVER educated my children any other way (of course, unless God prompted me). My children are now teens, and they are three of the most incredible lively, engaged, personable teens I know. Still that doesn't make schooling at home easy... especially three or more.

You got to love how honest teens can be. I learned today that 

• I spend too much time writing/and on the computer. 
• I need to find a television show that I watch regularly for at least an hour a day. 
• Cellphones are intimate personal property that connects people to the out-side world. 
• Greek is my son's favorite subject. (My daughter's used to be lunch.)
• Teens can better understand why something is important if I explain instead of demanding.
• I have a problem with time... I am oblivious to it... never on time.... never bother to look at it.
• Crumbs on the sofa are OK because they are our crumbs not some nasty who-knows-from-where.
• My children love me and I love them, and we can talk through even difficult problems.

Yes, these are all the blessing of today, and I probably have missed a few. So while I might whine and warn you of struggles of homeschooling, when each day is done (and when my oldest child walks across the graduation stage this year) I will be so glad we persevered. 

Hang in there and count your blessing!

Lindy