Well, I think I can see spring on the horizon! So, we know what that means. Planning for the next school year! Woo Hoo! Yeah whatever.
We all know better. We get a tingle down our spine every time we go to the mailbox and see a new curriculum catalogue! We turn the pages with utter excitement, thinking of all the exciting learning that we can do for the next year. We dog-ear pages and circle descriptions…..with great anticipation! Oh the EXCITEMENT! And then comes our Debbie Downers.
First our most treasured prodigy begins with the long drawn out moans of, “Moooooooooommm! I don’t want to do latin…whhhhyyyy do I have to do I have to do Algebra?? Seriously….this reading list is from the dark ages!” Oh those precious faces so full of potential and ANGST.
As we work hard, making our brains sweat as if we were doing Zumba in the Sahara, contemplating what classes each of our precious jewels would surely excel in, what will be needed for high school credits, and of course the super fun electives! Oh, how we plan!
Then the other downer appears…..you know the one. The one at the end of the order form….yeah…that one….TOTAL. That little box can take us from euphoria to the deepest darkest place in our children’s messy closets! Then comes the saddest part…what can we do without? Oh! My heart breaks to a million pieces, falling to the floor with tinkle of fine glass! (Look at me…practicing my descriptive writing!)
BUT! A thought jumps into my brain like the ding on the microwave! THE LIBRARY! YES! I will make my own curricula…I will research, plan, outline, do all the worksheets and assignments! I CAN DO THIS!
Who am I fooling???? I have science experiments in the back of the fridge….that started as “left overs for lunch.” I just can’t seem to recall what lunch…or when. And if you look under the beds, the dust bunnies have formed a commune of free love and peace.
We all have been there. It is so hard to build your curricula to your children. We battle costs, fear, intimidation, and failure. But, with that said, we find such joy in what we see our children accomplish. As home educators we celebrate the grades; but also the special little nuances, learning to tie shoes, writing their name, finding them being quiet….with a book, seeing them help the elderly get a shopping cart from the rack….so much that cannot be measured in an aptitude test. Moms, do not stress over the books and the grades! Look at the human you have made and now are molding to be a generous, kind, caring, and loving person.
Mama, hold the head high! We are strong, smart, and capable! We have coffee running through our veins! We can teach, cook pizza rolls, change a diaper, and pay bills! We are THE WONDER WOMEN of the world! So, get your bracelets on, attach your lasso of truth (but does it work on a 3 year old?), put on that push-up bustier and high heel running boots, and get out there and show the world, “I AM A HOMESCHOOL MOM AND I AM STRONG AND FEARLESS!”
Well, except for the fear to open those containers in the fridge…
Hang in there moms…we got this!
Dee Dee (with coffee and sleep pants!)