"Homeschool Hell Week"

Keepin’ it real over here. This is my 11th year of homeschooling. I have officially decided the first week of school will be called “Homeschool Hell Week” (sorry I am a military wife so using military terms.). The pattern I’ve experienced is the first day usually goes pretty well but then it slowly digresses through the rest of the week. All of a sudden they are not happy when I have stepped up the bar because they have gone up a grade, or my strong-willed children are freaking out because I changed something from what I did last year. For years I would get discouraged as I watched lesson plans go up in smoke and had to adjust fire as I figured out what reasonable expectations were versus the ideal homeschool year I had cooked up in my head. 

For all of you homeschool moms who are new to this or are simply feeling discouraged because you are in the middle of the battle, I want to encourage you and let you know that it will pass. The children will adjust their attitudes and both you and they will adjust expectations to the new realistic “normal” for that year. I urge you all to be patient with the process. Don’t feel like you did the wrong thing by homeschooling them because it’s hard. Sometimes my “hell week” of homeschooling turns into a “hell month”, but I’ve always hung in there knowing that I’m doing the right thing - the best thing for my kids, even though I might be getting a lot of flak back. 

Many parents immediately start worrying about damaging their relationships with their kids because of the conflict they are experiencing. I promise you, in the long run these relationships will be strengthened. I urge you to focus on character and help them to realize that you are not just the parent but the boss - the one who is in control of their schedule, chores and academics. The power struggle is real, especially in this day and age. Kids thrive with good boundaries and routine. By the grace of God, you can do this one day at a time. “Homeschool Hell Week” will end!

God Bless,

Jackie