Homeschooling is for Crazy People - Reason #1

I'm a crazy homeschooling mom and I don't care who knows it. This is the start of a series in which I'm going to share the secret life of homeschooling with you. I can't promise it'll be predictably regular, but as I uncover more reasons why homeschooling is crazy, I'll be sure to share them with you.  

First and foremost, I love what we do.  There are days that make me want to ship the kids off on the next bus outa here, but in general, I'm happy with my choice.  But there are certain things about homeschooling that require, well, someone...special. A crazy person.  Today, I took my kids to my doctor appointment and the first reason that homeschoolers are a little crazy came to me right away.

Reason #1 that Homeschooling is for crazy people:
We're ALWAYS together. 

Why this is crazy:

Doctor appointments.  With children in tow, doctor appointments can become awkward.  I love my general practitioner.  He goes above and beyond to talk with my kids and has told me that they are more important than him and if they need something during my appointment, he should be the one to wait.  Wow, do I love him!  That being said, certain appointments (rhymes with synetologist)  can be awkward.  I try to get someone to watch them for those but they've joined me more than once, and came away without being scarred for life.  

Chilling in the waiting room, which became 10x louder upon our arrival.

Constant chatter.  I enjoy chatting with my kids and my little one has an adorable cartoon character voice, but sometimes, I just want to hear the sound of my own thoughts.  I typically cannot make it through a good song on the radio without input from the backseat.

Extra "help".  Some tasks, such as shopping for feminine products, making a phone call to an insurance and/or cable company, or running a series of errands, are just easier without the help of children. I can run into the store and grab a few things in just a few minutes, but when the kids are with me, I have to get them out of their car seats, remind them not to touch everything they see, and keep them corralled while I try to remember why I'm at the store in the first place.

Lack of alone time. You know that thing you'd choose to do if you had absolutely nothing else on your list? Like binge watching Netflix or reading more than two paragraphs of a book in one sitting?  Yeah, kids can sense when you're jonesing for some me time and derail it instantly.  Sometimes when they are playing nicely, I'll slip away to my room to read, but they quickly notice my absence and invite me to join them in watching mind-numbing children's shows or taking every book we own off the book shelf.

Permanent audience.  Certain activities, like trying on underwear (or last year's swim suit, yikes!) do not need to be witnessed by anyone.  How bout when you step on a pile of Legos and obscenities flow from your lips? Or when you've discovered cat poop in the basement again and straight up scream at your pet? It can be hard to have these most private moments witnessed by young people.  

Why this is awesome:

We function well together. "My kids would hate being with me that much!" someone once confided to me.  Well, when you're around each other this much, you learn how to deal.  You don't have a choice. The circumstances require that you learn how to live together, semi-peacefully. We've learned how to get along and not kill each other.  We've learned to accept each other's quirks and support one another's weird endeavors. Do we sometimes drive each other crazy? Of course. But over the course of (most) days, we're enjoying each other far more than annoying each other. Which brings me to...

Sisterly bonding. My girls are great friends. They are two years and eight months apart in age, but they play very well together. They bicker, like all siblings, but they have heard me say, "People are more important than things" enough times and they know that they have to work things out. They don't realize that they are in separate grades and would be segregated if they went to a traditional school. At homeschool gatherings, they play with one another's friends. Age is not something that divides them. All this time together has made them buddies.

They sure love each other.

Increased patience.  People often say, "Oh, I don't have the patience to be with my kids all day!" and I laugh inside.  Do you think I did when I first started? Absolutely not.  It has been a learning experience. My patience has increased tenfold out of necessity.  I pick my battles.  I can't let every little thing they do get to me, or else I'll be annoyed all day.  I've gained a lot of perspective from being around my kids day in and day out.  Some hills, annoying as they may be, are not worth dying on.  They are little people that are learning about this world and they deserve grace, just as I do when I have a temper tantrum and yell at the cats.

Real world learning. They come along with me wherever we need to go, which leads to a lot of learning. When they asked why I needed to go to the doctor, I explained that I haven't been feeling well because my iron was low. This led to a discussion of all the different things our bodies need to function, which spiraled into a discussion of different vitamins our bodies need and what we can eat to get them. A trip to the post office leads to an explanation of how the mail comes to arrive in our box every day. A drive through the ATM and I'm explaining to the kids that the machine does NOT just spit out money, but actually withdraws it from my account. The opportunities for learning are endless when you're out in the real world.

Perk of being together: Good behavior gets noticed!

So while there are some frustrating aspects to having my kids go everywhere I go, I wouldn't change it.  I've learned to save my grocery shopping for weekends (shopping alone takes half the time of shopping with kids) and I regularly attend Mom's Night Out events. Some days I call in the reinforcements (aka Grandparents) and feel blessed to have the time to myself, even if it is so I can go to the dentist. 

One thing is certain: I'm a crazy homeschooler, and I love it. 

This post is part of the 30 Day Challenge.