Homeschooling simply means that you have determined to walk this path with them. You don’t know exactly what lies ahead; the joys, the struggles, or the twists and turns in the road. You aren’t given a map. You don’t receive the privilege of a bird’s eye view to see when there will be the overgrown weeds of doubt, fear and anxiety that need to be cut down. The downed trees of difficult times aren’t visible but when your child faces them, they can know that you are there and you are ready to push, pull and do whatever it takes to get through.
You may know some homeschooling families that seem to have it all together. They don’t. They have difficult days, weeks or maybe years where things refuse to go as planned. What you might be witnessing though is a sense of peace. If they have been walking this path long enough then they have most likely come to the realization that as a homeschooling parent you need to expect the unexpected and simply take each year as it comes. The little things don’t weigh them down. The socialization issue isn’t an issue anymore. They don’t feel the need to justify their actions to naysaying family members. If the house isn’t perfectly clean when guests come to visit, they don’t fret. All the worries that most newbie homeschoolers feel have fallen to the wayside because they have had a change of mind and a change of heart. Experience will do that to you and experience will only come with time and perseverance. Push through day by day and eventually you will look back and see that you actually made it and that you really do have something of value to share with others.
So keep on going. Trudge the path set before you. Your journey may not look exactly like mine, your friend’s or those who have gone ahead of you but you have been entrusted with the lives of your children and as you stay close to their side you will eventually learn how to lead, guide and direct them so when they step off this path and enter the next stage of their lives, they will be ready, and they will thank you!
