Dec. 11, 2007 - Feeling Guilty, Anyone?
Does anyone else out there feel guilty when you don't follow the day's lesson plan exactly as written? I am a first year homeschooling mom so I'm sure I'll get over it, but when I don't do exactly as prescribed, sometimes I wonder "Are my kids getting everything they need?". Yesterday we began Week 13, discussing how the sun causes seasons and we focused on summer. We did not do the Language Arts, the murals, the observation project, nothin'. We talked a lot about summer and the things we enjoy about it and as we did, I remembered that I had purchased some Moon Sand the day after Thanksgiving. What a perfect activity to enjoy since summer is long gone here and it was a sandcastle kit. The kids loved it and played for over an hour (this is a major deal for my son!). But as I looked over the outline for the day, it felt like we hadn't accomplished much. I espcially get concerned that we will miss the developmental things. My son isn't ready to write, his drawings are round scribbles and it is a fight to get him to participate in games many times. So it is certainly easier for me to pass up these kind of activities when the Interlock prescribes them.
The Lord continues to show me that this is my homeschool and I get to conduct it anyway I want and,so long as I am seeking Him, things are going to turn out just fine whether we do exactly what "they" say we "should" or not. This is my lifeline- if I'm not seeking Him daily, our school is a mess. I give in to the guilt. I worry. I'm not having fun. And I've noticed that when I'm having fun, the kids are too.
