Homeschool parents have one of the hardest yet most rewarding jobs out there. Yet too ften times we feel like a homeschool failure.
Homeschool parents have one of the hardest yet most rewarding jobs out there. We have the awesome job of caring for our children every day. Yet, we also have to play the roles of teacher, nurse, housekeeper, cook, and much more. So often we go to bed at the end of the day exhausted and feeling like a homeschool failure.
You may think to yourself that you yelled too many times, there are dishes still in the sink, clothes still needing to be folded, and papers that still need grading. Yet, chances are you didn’t fail your children.
- Think of everything you did accomplish that day. Did you read to your kids? Feed them? Play a game? Take them outside? Talk to them? Chances are you did at least a few of these things. You are not a failure!
- Take a deep breath and reevaluate. What makes you feel like a failure? Now, could you find a way to fix it? Sometimes it can be as simple as getting up a little earlier or delegating a responsibility to an older child.
- Lower your expectations. What season of life are you in? Depending on the season you are in you may need to lower your expectations. There are only so many hours in a day and sometimes things need to be put on the back burner. Freezer meals are not the end of the world, and it is not going to hurt anything for the towels to stay in a basket an extra day.
- Give yourself grace. As parents, we are not perfect. If you feel like a failure for things that maybe were within your control, give yourself grace. Wake up the next day with a smile on your face and a resolve to not make the same mistakes again. Parents have the awesome luxury of getting to repeat their job each day. So, we can learn from our mistakes and move on.
Homeschool parents, you wear many hats and it is natural to feel like you failed at a few of them. But, remember the ones you didn’t fail at! Focus on those, then reevaluate your expectations and give yourself grace. You are not a failure!
Misty Bailey is a wife to Roger and a homeschool mom to three beautiful blessings. She resides with her family in Southern Ohio. She loves helping new homeschoolers and has a Homeschool 101 eBook for those getting started. She shares her struggles with time management, becoming unglued, and finding joy in the everyday moments on her blog Joy in the Journey.
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