I hadn't intended to take a break.  It just happened.  Thanksgiving Break quietly turned into December Break which became New Baby Break, and next thing I knew 2 months had passed by with very little schoolwork getting accomplished. 

Since I refuse to parent, nor homeschool, by guilt, I knew we would eventually redeem our time.  After all, isn't that Why I Homeschool Year Round?  However, I was not prepared for the amazing difference that came from taking this break.

It was most noticeable in my newly turned 8 year old daughter.  In November, her handwriting had been mediocre.  Suddenly, it was well-formed and beautiful.  Prior to our break, she had found grammar to be utterly aggravating.  Today, she beamed as she finished yet another lesson in record time.  She was better able to concentrate and she has begun to produce outstanding work.  All this from a 2 month break that should have caused a setback.

Oftentimes, we homeschool moms find ourselves in a period of time that forces us to take a break we never intended to take.  Perhaps we must spend our hours packing to move our household.  Maybe it is a pregnancy that has us holding down the couch.  Or it could be a sick child who needs round the clock care.  Whatever it may be, no matter how big or how small, you can almost guarantee a forced break will come to you at some point in your homeschooling career. 

In fact, you may be there now wondering how you will ever catch up or if you will ever catch up.  You feel guilty, but you also feel helpless.  You consider sending the children away to school because you are just sure they will never recover from this lapse in their studies.  You feel like a failure.

But, you aren't.

Many homeschoolers cling to the verses in Deuteronomy that command parents to diligently teach their children the Lord's words and ways. (see Deut. 6)  Yet somehow when they find themselves in a position where they cannot teach what the institutionalized schools teach they forget all about these verses, or they unconsciously twist them to suggest parents should be more concerned with teaching their children the world's ways and what the world deems important. 

During those times when we are forced to take a break, we still have the power to teach the Lord's ways to our children.  In fact, breaks may be much more conducive to this sort of teaching simply because academics no longer stand in the way. 

In addition to this, you may find yourself, as I was, pleasantly surprised by your children's academic progress following a break.  Perhaps she needed a couple of months maturity on her to appreciate her grammar lessons.  Maybe all those letters she wrote to friends and family during our break created a more controlled and lovely handwriting.  Whatever the true reason for her progress was, the break was the vehicle for bringing about this marvelous change.  

So, rather than seeing a break as an obstacle or a guilt-trip, consider it a blessing, a chance to focus on character, an opportunity to allow for a bit of growth and maturity in you and your children.  Enjoy the break and come back to the academics (when you can) a refreshed and renewed mama!