Homeschooling: a great consumer of time. I had no clue when I first started that my time would be distributed differently, yet again. No one told me about this issue. So, let me be sure to share it with you.
There was mention in numerous places that homeschooling kindergarten doesn’t need to take long. Maybe a couple hours each day. Enough to cover the basics–math, reading, writing. Depending on the child, you could use more or less time. And there’s a bit of time that goes into lesson planning, which varies with your curriculum choices. That time usage was expected. I’m talking about the time that’s left over in the day for the rest of life. Or rather, what’s no longer left over.
I choose to sit with my daughter for the bulk of her lesson time. She struggles a bit with starting immediately. I don’t mean rushing through assignments. Just that I’ll point out something for her to do, and then she usually focuses her attention elsewhere until I get after her enough times. How many times does a girl need to drop her pencil off the table and work to acrobatically pick it up off the floor? So, what I planned to only spend a short time doing takes double the amount with her antics.
By the time schooling is done, it’s lunch time. Then come the big dilemmas–do I cook dinner or do I play with the kids? Is there time to actually scrub the powder room baseboards or do I stick with my regular clean up? Oh, is there time for me to grab a quick bite to eat? What can fit on the back burner for bit and what needs my immediate attention? Do I work endlessly from the moment I awake to the moment I collapse in bed or is it okay to take a mental break here and there during the day?
The trials and errors never stop during the homeschooling adventure. The kids do help with some chores, but they also needs lots of fun time still. They’re kids– I want them to enjoy this stage of life as they learn while growing. I realize that this is only temporary. My time won’t always be needed in this way forever. As the girls grow and mature, they’ll soon be able to do their lessons more independently and I’ll be using my time differently, yet again.
I need to remember to make the most of what I have today. Tomorrow is not guaranteed and I refuse to put regrets on the back burner for later.