I was thrown into homeschool with my back against a wall. Even though I’d always toyed with the idea, I was nervous + wondered if I really had what it took. I had been sick in bed all summer with my fourth pregnancy and feeling completely exhausted + alone. The last day to notify my daughters school if we would be attending or not rolled around + I STILL wasn’t sure what to do. My head was telling me it felt like too much but my gut was telling me I needed to at least try. So I did. I ordered our books a month late. We didn’t even get them until October. I was unprepared, tired, overwhelmed, but we dove in; doing things our way + allowing my daughter to be my guide. Taking it slow + giving myself LOTS of grace because I was learning right alongside her. We took days off, we played, we learned how to cook, we gardened, we went on lots of nature walks, we watched documentaries. We traveled. We followed a curriculum, yes, but we really just did what we wanted, making sure to try to get to little bit of the important things every day. Most days we did, but some days we didn’t. And it was all ok.
I am NO expert. I’m only one year in so I don’t have all of the best tips and tricks and methods under my belt, but here’s what I do know. There is no one who knows them better, loves them more, or is more equipped to teach your children, than you. You don’t have to know everything, you don’t have to be organized, you don’t need a school room, you don’t need to be busy all day every day, you don’t need to be prepared even. As long as your children feel loved, heard, and valued, you will be successful. It truly comes down to this. No amount of bookwork to be done or lessons to get through are worth creating feelings other than love + accomplishment. If your heart is telling you to go this direction during these crazy times I want to give you the strength you need to follow that intuition because I PROMISE you, you are capable of giving your children the only education they ever need 💛