Most homeschool moms I meet are worried.  They worry about curriculum, children, and chores.  They aren’t living a joyful life.  In fact, they aren’t living much of a life at all.

The truth of the matter is, I even fall into this trap from time to time.  You know why?  Because I’m not perfect and it is so easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of “what-if’s”, wondering:

What if I tried this curriculum?
What if I tried this schedule?
What if I did this, that, and another thing?

Would I finally “arrive”?

The answer is NO.

We are blessed with just a foretaste of perfection here on this earth.  We are also blessed {yes, I said blessed} with enough imperfection to know we haven’t arrived.

Every now and then, we have a homeschool day that looks and feels perfect.  I had one on Thursday.  It was lovely.

But those days are like the water Jesus spoke of to the woman at the well…they leave us thirsty again.

I know what it is like to analyze every move you make in your homeschool day (just take a look at the pile of books and papers currently beside my chair as I plan for the upcoming year!).  I know what it is like to want to be certain you have the right curriculum, the right schedule, the right everything.  But, mamas, if you are always right, there is no room for God.

So, what are some realistic expectations for homeschooling moms?

1.  Expect interruptions, frustrations, minor catastrophies and other things that take time away from your actual homeschool day.  You homeschool AT HOME and not in a bubble.  Life happens here.  It’s ok.

2.  Expect to be stretched – it’s how you grow, it’s how your children grow.  There will be things that do not work for your homeschool and things that do and there will be things that need a little bit of tweaking.  As a homeschool mom, you will find your education has just begun and it will last until that last little one has graduated (and beyond!).  Don’t see it as a stressor, but rather a chance to put those brain cells to work!

3.  Don’t let the rough days ruin the good of what you are doing.  Homeschooling is a labor of love.  It is work, but it is good work.  The bumps may slow you down, but they ought never to beat you down.

4.  Put Christ first in everything.  In other words, keep your Focus!  Take a step back {often} and rather than analyzing curriculum and schedules, analyze your walk with Christ, your children’s walk with Christ, and how your homeschool day falls in line with God’s good and perfect Will.

When you start to feel like you are drowning in a sea of what-if’s, step away from whatever it is that is causing you angst and step into your prayer closet (which more often than not in my world is a darkened bedroom).

Seek Him!  What you are looking for is there.

I am a first-generation homeschool mother.

I came to this with nothing to offer except the commitment to raise my children in the ways of the Lord.

I started with a little homeschooling catalog and a school-at-home mentality.  I took a leap of faith into something I didn’t really understand.  It hasn’t been easy.

Michael Farris coined the term “transitional” to describe those of us who have transitioned from our own personal public school upbringing into this world of homeschooling.

Anything that is “transitional” typically has kinks that need to be worked out.  I am forever grateful to the truly transitional generation of homeschoolers from the 80′s & 90′s who worked out the legal kinks for my generation (although, we must never stop fighting for these rights!)  Because of this, the kinks that my generation of first generation homeschool moms must work out aren’t legal, but mental.

You see, I don’t have to hide my kids under beds or worry that what I am doing is illegal.

I have to worry that my public school upbringing will undermine my homeschooling.

That fact alone is why I started Raising Arrows.

I needed a daily pep talk and I was fairly certain I wasn’t alone.  I needed to know that I wasn’t doing it wrong if I didn’t do it like the public school.  I needed to know I was being faithful.  I needed to be reminded that what God called me to He would equip me for.

I don’t have all the answers.  I am a work in progress.  I have moments where I don’t have a clue what the next step is.  And sometimes it hurts.  My heart aches for all the missed opportunities, the lessons I couldn’t fit in, the times I chose school-at-home over living a lifestyle of learning.

Growing pains indeed.

But, the beauty of growing pains is the fact that you are growing.

Becoming a homeschooling mother has brought me to a place where I am always growing.  I am always learning.  My God-given talents are constantly in use and my shortcomings are constantly being stretched.

So, keep going, mama!  Keep learning!  Keep growing!  You are paving the way!