Jan. 5, 2007 - Getting Back into the Swing of things...
What a wonderful December we had with our family. We took a break from our normal schooling schedule and spent time, visiting with family, baking cookies, making gingerbread houses, shopping and doing all the traditional activities we do at Christmas time. How fun...but getting back into a normal routine is not always fun.
This week we have struggled with getting back to "normal" and I have heard many other homeschool families are doing the same thing. I have also heard many stories of how difficult this has been on mom and children. I wanted to share a few things I have learned this week and what has worked for us.
Day one back from break was full of complaints and pushing the limits. Mind you, we spent Monday night getting to bed on time and having the talk about what is expected starting on Tuesday...to no avail. Did they think we were joking about getting up early, getting chores done & getting back to school? To me, this was no laughing matter. I meant business. After spending the first couple of hours reminding them to do what they needed to do and making sure it was complete, we then had another hour long talk about expectations and responsibility. It was one of those times when we think "why are we doing this?", and "That's it, they are going to public school". Have you had those same thoughts before? You are not alone. Thankfully, these thoughts are usually fleeting and go away with the first sign of renewed peace.
It is now Friday and I am very happy to report things are much better today. Each day this week progressed a little more and the children and I are now back into the normal routine with happy hearts and attitudes. Of course taking away MP3 players, PSPs and cell phones for the week helped tremendously. But we all now see clearly how when everyone acts responsibly and does their part, everyone is much happier.
So here are the lessons learned this week:
1. Breaks are needed for all of us. Even though it's hard to get back into a routine afterwards, it's worth it. The rough waters that follow a break, usually only last a few days.
2. Take is slow the first week back after break. Stay consistant and be firm.
3. Taking away cell phones, game players and other electronics can be a very valuable tool when teaching responsibility.
4. When you feel like you have wasted a day talking about responsibility, you've actually spent valuable time teaching character and life lessons...that time is not wasted.
5. You are not alone in this journey or your struggles. When you hit these rough times, talk to other homeschool moms for encouragement...you are sure to get lots of great wisdom and wonderful words of encouragement.
6. It helps to keep a list of the reasons why you homeschool, so when tough times occur refer back to your list to remind yourself that it is indeed worth every minute.
7. God always builds character through these tough times...thank God we don't stay the same.
I hope this has encouraged you to stay the course and I pray you are settling back into a consistant routine in your schooling journey. Happy learning to you all and blessings,
Comments
Jan. 6, 2007 - encouragement
Posted by Anonymous
