Keep It Up! Even When it’s Hard

I’ve said before that homeschooling is one of my greatest joys as a mother. I truly mean that. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not hard, especially when life gets in the way. You know what I mean: one kid is sick; the toddler is drawing all over himself – or the floor or walls – instead of taking a nap; friends want to play and your kids are not shy about bribing you to let them off early . . . We’ve all been there. Despite the fact that Seahawk is starting 5th grade next week (how did that happen?!), I still often feel like I don’t have a clue what I’m doing on the homeschooling front. What I do have, however, is life experience. I live my life as the mother to three rambunctious boys every single day. I know that life tends to present problems – more often than I’d care to admit. I know that it’s easier to “take a day off” than to push through. But we can’t do that. We owe it to our children to teach them, not only the academics (although those are vital), but also how to become outstanding citizens. That’s our main job as parents, whether we homeschool or not. It’s important, therefore, to keep our focus. Keep pressing on. Don’t let ourselves get distracted.

I’m not comfortable writing a post on tips for “how to still get the schooling done when something goes wrong.” I feel too inexperienced for that (despite the fact that I’ve been doing this homeschooling thing for 5 years). But I can offer you encouragement. I can say to you, “You can do this!” and “You’ve chosen this path for a reason. Remember what it is, and don’t let yourself get sidetracked.” So that’s what I’m going to do today: urge you to Keep It Up!

When you feel like you just can’t go on – no matter the reason – you can. It is possible, no matter what stage in life you’re in. There will always be hardships, but with the help of God, we can make it through anything. When we keep our noses to the grindstone, anything is possible.

Does that mean we’ll be happy to just press on when “life happens”? No, certainly not. But we can still do it. When we fall down, is it easy to get up again? Of course not, but it is possible. Look to God, and He’ll help you, offering His wonderful arms to lean into. He’ll open doors we didn’t even realize were closed. He understands what we’re going through, and He’ll help us through it all.

(I’ll have a simplicity post for you guys later this week. I’m still brainstorming something, but I wanted to participate in the Blog Carnival this week, so this post is coming first.)

Blessings,

Wendy

This article is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog Carnival, Homeschooling . . . When Life Happens. I hope you’ll click on the banner below and read articles from other homeschooling moms on how they manage.