Life has totally rerouted on us lately. Without much warning, the road signs changed, and we are on unmapped highways. One of those sudden changes is the new world of eLearning.
I have homeschooled my children in the past, and I remember the weight and the joy. There are some great benefits to having your children schooling at home, but there are also stressors, especially in a time like this when we didn’t have time to prepare our minds and homes and when the other worries and complications are adding to the load.
Some of you are working at another job from home and trying to juggle Zoom meetings and conference calls and deadlines while overseeing your kids’ school-day. Others of you are managing nursing babies and corralling energetic toddlers while explaining math concepts and listening to reading lessons. And still others are used to this drill because you do it all the time, but now you can’t go to your usual homeschool co-op group and other supplemental activities that provide some of the education your children need. Maybe you don’t fit any of these categories, but you have your own set of challenges. All of us with schooling children at home have some form of learning curve in this season.
Let me give you a few reminders to hang onto today:
- Summer is coming. That’s right, girlfriend; put up a calendar, cross off the days, wait for it!
- Be honest. Email or message your child’s teacher if things are going badly; they’ll help you. Everyone is in the same predicament, and teachers are there as a resource. Use them!
- Start the day with prayer. Just drop down on the floor beside your student, lay your hand on his or her arm and ask God to bless the day and help them understand the work.
- Ignore the guilt. Or take a nap until the feeling goes away. (smile) My children did not prefer homeschooling when we did it voluntarily as a family, and that’s okay. I am way more than that to my kids. Some mothers feel called by God to homeschool; I did not. I own it, and go on with my good life.
- Tomorrow is usually better. No matter how bad today is, it is not the sum total of your child’s education. Chalk it up as a bad day, and let it go. One of my worst habits is hanging onto things I should let go. Don’t be like me. Open up your hands and release what you can’t change. Tomorrow is coming!
Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there is a season for everything we are asked to do – this is our time to teach our children at home. But it will pass. And then it will be time to relax and rejoice. Hang in there, moms. We’ve got this.
Father God, we moms need Your strength so that we may have tenacity and perseverance in these unexpected days. We depend on You, and we look ahead to the joy to come. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven. (Eccl.3:1)
