When you’ve been at this homeschooling lifestyle long enough, you start to realize that too much downtime during summer fuels boredom, not relaxation and leisure.
So the tendency to school all year, to be in a perpetual state of studies, seems to make a lot of sense when you don’t know what to do with the kids.
We continue fifteen minutes of math each day, continuing to journal and chores, setting aside quiet time to read, and limiting screen time fuels creativity.
This is what homeschool mom learned this summer.
When there is a wee bit of work for the kids to do, their leisure seems more happily received.
Our schedule is loosened significantly but still has its presence.
Perhaps one of the greatest disadvantages to never letting loose from the schedule though is not learning to be free with my time, for me.
There are things that I want to do and there are things that I want to pursue.
What are they? How would I know if I never set aside the time?
Slowly, gradually, finally, I found myself setting aside significant chunks of time for just that, pursuing the projects that I wanted.
- Not because they might fuel an interest in one of my children.
- And not because I thought it might aid in their education.
- Not because it might nurture one of them, but rather, so it might nurture me.
Like setting aside time each day to read.
Not reading homeschooling stuff, not inspirational stuff, no newspapers, just a good old-fashioned fictional narrative that takes me away to another place, somewhere presently inaccessible to my physical body.
Like doing the things I think will never happen until the kids are out of the house, like painting the fence in quiet, planning the front garden bed, or redecorating the upper floor of our home.
Like wandering the aisles of the bookstore, just for the sheer enjoyment of placing my fingers on hundreds of books, flipping open their book jackets, and discovering their hidden expressions in font or whitespace.
These are the things that re-create a sense of individuality, a sense of quiet and organization, for me. If I were in a perpetual state of all-year schooling, I wouldn’t have enough mental wandering to let myself pursue things outside my present-day sphere.
This is what this homeschool mom learned this summer. A little re-creating fuels a whole lot of work.
This is lovely, and so true. Especially this line, “When there is a wee bit of work to do, the leisure seems more happily received.” Sometimes it’s such a challenge to strike a balance during these warm, tempting summer months! But it sounds like you have done just that. I struggle as well with dedicating time “just for me” as you mentioned. Which is one reason my blog is so on-again, off-again. Blogging certainly isn’t something I do for my children, but for me; it’s an escape. And good writing practice. Plus, when I do the things you mentioned, whether it’s gardening or learning to crochet — I find the kids are actually fascinated! I think it’s so healthy for moms to pursue their own wants. It’s a good example of living a balanced life. Thank you for the reminder.