Embracing the Many Roles of a Homeschool Mom

The roles of a homeschool mom can leave us feeling exhausted. But, we don’t have to. Here are three ways we can embrace the many roles of a homeschool mom.

The alarm goes off at 5:15 am. Within minutes I’m up and working as a VA. A few hours later the kids begin to roll out of bed and I start hearing the word “mom”. Breakfast needs to be made, and chores need managed.  Before too long I’m gathering up the kids for school time.  Hours later more food needs cooked and served, followed by more time teaching.

After school means piano and soccer, followed by yet another meal.   The husband comes home and the role of dutiful wife is upon me.  There are bedtime routines, family devotions and hugs good night.Throughout the day There had been boo boos that needed bandaged, foreheads that were kissed, animals that were fed and books that get read.  I fall asleep exhausted knowing the next day will be the same.

The Role of a Homeschool Mom

The role of homeschool mom never ends. There are no yellow school buses taking our kids to school while we clean the house and run errands.    I have said before and I still stand by the fact that our jobs are one of the only  ones that are truly 24/7.

The many roles of a homeschool mom can leave us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. But, we don’t have to feel that way. Here are three ways we can embrace the many roles of a homeschool mom.

Count our Blessings

When I am feeling overwhelmed and underpaid (HA!) I remind myself of the blessing of homeschooling. There are no good byes at the bus stop. There is no homework at the end of the day. There is no wondering what our kids are doing if they are safe, or what they are being taught. I know. Homeschooling is a blessing and one that the Lord has called me to do. When I stop and count the blessing that homeschooling has given me I feel a lot less overwhelmed.

Rest

This is something that most of us don’t do enough off. However, I was reminded of the importance of rest this past school year. As I faced a year of burn out I realized that really the only person I had to blame for my predicament was myself. I said YES more than I said NO. I homeschooled out of negligence. I chose frustration over joy and all of these situations came because I was tired and hadn’t allowed myself to rest. Homeschool moms NEED rest and without we are not equipped to handle the many roles we face each day.

Enlist Help

We don’t have to do it all. Yes, we face many roles, but how many of those have to lie solely on our own shoulders? Not many.  Dad can help with grading papers, kids can help with chores, see if grandma can help with that errand that needs ran, and ask a friend if you can carpool to soccer practice. Too many times we carry a burden on our shoulders that we don’t have to face alone.

Moms, as we all start back to school chances are before too long we are going to feel overwhelmed and overextended. The many roles of a homeschool mom means we are running to and fro. However, we have a choice to make. Do you want your children to remember a homeschool mom that was too busy for one more book? Or one that said yes to what truly matters? Do you want to be an over tired mom who hasn’t made time to rest? Or do you want to be a mom who takes the time to care for herself so she can better serve her family?

This year I want to face the many roles of a homeschool mom head on. I want to embrace my role as a homeschool mom and not look at our homeschool day as another thing to mark off of my to-do list.  I want to enlist help from others so I can face my roles with a smile. I want to be a joyful and happy homeschool mom. And that choice starts with me!

How can you embrace the many roles of a homeschool mom? 

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.