Habits for a Happy Homeschool

I am an authority on the happy home.

No...really!

OK, OK, I know a few thing to NOT do...how's that?  LOL

I’ve been reading around the blogosphere out there tonight (hey, sue me, we’re sick over here!)  and I have read about dozens of amazing mothers out there who, not only create these cool and professional-looking blogs, they also create clever learning experiences daily on a shoe string, put frugal gourmet meals on the table, take amazing months in RVs with their family, and make darling little felted booties with their bilingual children, dress their children in darling outfits, play in clean, running streams, fly kites dozens of times a season (not just once), color-coordinate their supplies, have fantastic organizing weekends, have time to Pinterest, have hipster kids, and have riotous senses of humor.

And while reading these blogs, I reminded myself of rule number UNO of homeschooling, NAY, of parenting:  NEVER NEVER NEVER compare your family to any other!

In honor of the many happy families out there, yours included, here is my brief and well-earned list of RULES FOR A HAPPY HOME.

• There are no rules.  Seriously, how could there be!  Each family is as unique as each person is. 

• Give ‘em time.  I mean this one three ways.  When it’s time to change activities, let them know!  It’s hard to switch gears!  Just TRY dragging me away from this pile of white laundry I’ve been working on all afternoon...please…

• Also, give each person YOUR time.  My best times are mornings with my son and evenings with my daughter.  Each of them has their “peak performance” times.  Lucky for me, they are a number of sleeping hours apart.
• Also, give them time to grow.  They won't meet your expectations, well, ever, but, given time, they will meet their own.  It, honestly, took me years to learn this one. For my daughter, I remember always thinking She's too big to be doing that.  or She should know that by now.  or When will she ever...  And then, when I look at pictures of her from the time I was thinking those things, I'm in shame.  I don't know why I was so extra hard on my daughter, but I like to think she and I have come to an understanding and that *I* have improved my ways.

• Listen.  If you seek to understand what is going on before seeking to be understood, your clearer pictures of the feelings of everyone involved will make you look like less of a witless rant and more of a caring mom.  Or so I hear.  I can’t tell you how often I have flown off the handle at a situation that I thought I understood, only to realize that I was waaaay off.

Luckily, this makes a great homeschooling lesson in a pinch.

Have I mentioned the great habits of goal setting, experiencing empathy, supporting your community, learning to manage stress, becoming resilient, getting enough sleep, and brushing twice a day?
Oh, that too.

• And, finally, Never take advice from anyone on how to homeschool your child, including from me. Do it your own way!