Guilt--an important part of every homeschooling mother's diet! : )

We homeschooling mommies can and do make entire meals out of guilt--I know it's not just me, because I listen to you all talk! : )

We ask "Is my child studying enough subjects?" "Are we spending enough time on the subjects we are studying?" "Is my child involved in enough activities?" "My child is so smart! Uh oh...am I smart enough to teach him?" "My child is behind and challenged in what she's studying...am I smart enough to teach her?!" "Are we reading the "right" books?" "Are we doing enough art and music?" "I just taught math in my pajamas without even brushing my teeth--did my child learn anything?!?!" "Are we going on enough field trips?" "For pity's sake--IS MY CHILD SOCIALIZED?!?!" ; ) (More on socialized vs. socialization in a later post!)

Whether you're new to homeschooling or you've been around a while....from where I sit (starting fifth year of homeschooling), you're going to have to live with and tame the guilt monster. Don't feed it--but you're a mom, so the guilt is not going to go away completely. (Just like the worry!)

You have to repeat to yourself the reasons you are homeschooling, identify areas where you want to see improvement (not perfection!) and lay out concrete steps to move towards your and your child's goals. Amongst all the reasons you're homeschooling, one of the reasons is most likely to give your child your personal attention--so make that your number one goal! Have FUN watching them learn (those Aha! moments are worth more than all of Solomon's gold!) and let learning be part of the glue that bonds you together.

You may have an "off" month--you might have an "off" year! You might be looking at the ambitious list of all you wanted to accomplish and realize you didn't come close to achieving it all. If that's the case, maybe ask yourself these questions:

Was that time doing what we could do well spent?
Did I and my child have positive moments, opportunities and educational breakthroughs that wouldn't have happened if someone else were their teacher?
Do I see a way forward this year?
Do I have positive homeschooling role models I can fellowship and share this journey with? If I don't, can I plug into the community and find some?
How do I feel after I pray about homeschooling challenges?
Am I struggling because I'm measuring myself and my child unrealistically against others?
Are my husband and I working well together in this endeavor? If not, how can we get closer to the same page? How can we support each other and our family better on the way forward?

So tell the guilt monster to take a hike (maybe even stick your tongue out at it!), put one foot in front of the other and chart your family's course.