Bad homeschool days and moments will come while you are on this journey. They key is knowing how to give yourself grace as a homeschool mom. Here are some tips to help you along the way!
I have some difficult news for you. At some point in your homeschooling career, you are going to feel like a failure. This may happen every day, it may happen once a month, or it may happen once a year. The point is, it WILL happen. When this time comes, you need to remember to breathe in and give yourself grace. Here are some areas that may make you feel like a failure, and what you can do to kick those feelings to the curb.
A Messy House
Yea, we have all been there! Laundry on the floor? It’s ok! Crumbs all over the kitchen? Hey, we don’t want the mice to starve right? In reality, I am sure the house is NOT that bad. If your kids are fed, dressed, and your home is livable. Don’t feel bad, you are keeping up just fine!
Dinner
It’s 5:00 and you haven’t even thought of dinner? Looks like frozen pizza. Again. It’s ok! This is a time of busyness. Maybe you have many little ones, maybe your kids have been sick and you are lucky to be functioning at all, maybe school ran late because you were busy teaching long division. You are feeding your family something. That is a plus. You are not a failure!
Your Child is Struggling
Has your child hit a wall in school? An area you just can’t seem to help him in? It’s ok! You don’t have to teach everything. Really. Find someone who may be able to help you. It could be a teen from your church that is excelling in school, maybe it is your husband, an aunt, or grandpa. You are not a failure, give yourself grace. You have taught everything else up to this point, you are doing a great job!
Moms, I encourage you to look past the to-do list, look past the mess, and remember the big picture. You are doing a great job. Don’t compare your home or your homeschool to someone else’s. Your focus and your ministry are within the four walls of your home. Are the kids healthy? Happy? Learning? If the answer is yes, then you are doing a great job! If the answer is no, you are still doing a great job! Give yourself grace, and remember that it is okay to make mistakes, it is okay to have messes, and it is okay to ask for help. It is also okay to feel like a failure sometimes, as long as you know and realize that you are NOT. You are a teacher, a nurse, a chef, a wife, a mother, a taxi driver, a housekeeper, and many other jobs as well. No one can do it all, and no one expects you to do it all either!
Author Bio: Misty Bailey is the blogger behind Joy in the Journey and the podcaster behind Joyfully Homeschooling. Her goal in this online space is to encourage and inspire you on your homeschool journey by providing practical tips for real life homeschooling. Through real stories, real struggles, and real life, Misty encourages her blog readers and podcast listeners to embrace imperfection and strive for a more joyful homeschool.
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