You want to be a good mom and a good homeschool teacher, but how do you balance those roles in the homeschool classroom and beyond? How do you get your kids to listen to you as a teacher? How do you find the time to be the mother you dream of being?
Even before my first child was born, I was determined to be the best mom ever. I had wanted to be a mom all my life. I relished the thought of all the mommy things I would do with and for my children. Holidays and birthdays, school functions and church activities, outings and vacations would be beautiful and perfect.
Likewise, when I felt God calling me to homeschool, I was determined to be the best “homeschool” mom ever. I was going to have all the lessons planned out over the summer. I was going to do all the fun things. I was going to raise up a genius through my stellar teaching abilities.
But somewhere along the way, it all got a bit muddy.
I was so busy being teacher, I forgot to be mom.
I became harsher and overly focused on education. I was more of a schoolmarm than a mom. I felt like all I did was tell my kids WHAT to do rather than doing anything WITH them. The kids weren’t responding well and frankly, it just didn’t feel right.
Read: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Homeschooling
Often, what homeschool moms fail to see is that we are MOMS who homeschool.
Mothers first.
Homeschoolers second.
When we fail to mother, we fail to be effective homeschool moms. If you simply wanted a teacher for your child, you could have sent your child to public school. My guess is you had more in mind when you kept your child home and decided to homeschool.
I know it feels like the weight of the educational success of your children is the biggest job you’ve ever undertaken, but trust me – it isn’t. God gave you children to raise – to love and nurture and disciple. Homeschooling them is icing on the mothering cake, not the other way around.
If you took away homeschooling, what would be left of your mothering?
If you have tried to sprinkle mothering on top of a homeschooling cake, you’ve missed God’s plan for families entirely.
Mother first.
Homeschool out of that love.
LISTEN >> How to Be a Relaxed Homeschool Mom
Here are a few practical ideas to keep your mothering first and your homeschooling an extension of that love…
- Get outside more. Read outside, play outside, find homeschool lessons that involve going outside. Children tend to hold on to outdoor memories much more strongly than they do things done indoors.
- Start your homeschool day together. Read, listen to music, eat breakfast, take a walk. However you start your homeschool day, try to make it more motherly and less schoolish.
- Finish the homeschool day BEFORE everyone has had enough. Never push your homeschool day so hard everyone begins to hate homeschooling! If you consistently under-plan, you give yourself room to add on if everyone is doing well without feeling pinned down to a too-tight schedule.
- Look for ways to incorporate learning into more motherly activities. Outings, cooking, car rides, read-alouds – anything but sitting at the kitchen table for hours on end! Learning can occur anywhere and should occur everywhere!
READ >> Does That Count As School?
Nicole says
Any tips on being a mother and cleaning too? I feel like I’m just trying to occupy them so I can clean!!
Amy says
By chance, do you have a copy of my book – Home Management for the Homeschool Mom? https://raisingarrows.net/product/home-management-homeschool-mom-ebook/ In this book I speak specifically to homeschool moms and the plight we are in when it comes to keeping up with a home AND homeschooling.