Talking About Quitting

It's January...already. Another year flew right by and I don't think anyone caught a good glimpse at it. I know it sure seems that way to me. Time sure flies when you are having fun doesn't it?? However that picture above sure doesn't look like much fun is happening. For most homeschooling families, we are smack dab in the middle of the 2014/2015 school calendar. Many of us are taking this time to change things up and tweek curriculum (which many times means throwing it out the window.) Many of us are also struggling EVERYDAY with the chaos that Heidi St. John (click here to visit her post) describes in the titled post above. 

Hot tears began streaming down my face as I thought about all that I had on my plate besides homeschooling. “Why am I even doing this? Does it really matter? I hate this! I want to QUIT!” Not sure about you, but I've been there and have the t-shirt!

I have a bad habit of subscribing to all sorts of e-newsletters and never ever read them. All except for Heidi. I relate to so many of her posts and always come away from reading them feeling a lot better about myself. If you are in the middle of a storm in your homeschooling, keep on going because Heidi is right, it is ALL worth it. 

I lead a local homeschool group and have contact with a good number of families. I've had so many Mom's come to me lately talking of putting their children in public school because they are just so stressed and feel they can't take it anymore. I always get a sinking feeling when approached about that topic. I know from experience though that most of the time it is a Mom who just needs to vent about the current wave of chaos ensuing upon her home. I've had two Mom's in just as many days come to me with frustrating words of discouragement about the beginning of this next semester for their family.

Hey, Mom!!! We are going to have moments of extreme chaos run rampant through our home and set us so far back that we can no longer see the finish line. But don't stop. Take a breather. Take a long breather if you need to. If a problem area is your kids deceiving you about the work they finished (like what was going on in Heidi's schoolroom; as well as a dear friend of mine who just happened to message me about the same issue with one of her kids), take a disciplinary action to your kids. A public school teacher wouldn't put up with that, why should you? As a matter of fact you would be working with that teacher to correct the matter!  Deceit is a character issue that needs addressed and I have found that whatever issue I am having with my kids, whether it be not doing their work or not doing a task that has been given, is directly linked to me not making them accountable for their actions. 

My house will turn into a war zone if I don't hold my kids accountable for what I ask them to do. Many times I just do the task myself or put it on the back-burner, which then causes the house to become unrecognizable as a home, or the kids getting behind in school work or worse yet, me turning into a MOMSTER! 

If you are feeling like quitting...DON'T. Unless there are family circumstances that require you to put your children into public or private school, then you know that is the best option. Instead, take a big step back and re-assign family priorities. Design a cleaning routine that helps to manage the clutter and dust bunnies because no one lives in a museum 24/7. Look at how you homeschool and totally do it differently (especially if you are mimicking standards and methods of public school.) Look, I'm not here to tell you how to run your homeschool or how to raise your family. But from experience I can tell you that the way I manage anything related to my family is the cause of any chaos that takes over our space. Yes, that hurts. But quitting because of my lacking would hurt worse. 

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.
Philippians 3:12-13