That Crazy Fine Line

One of the advantages of homeschooling often touted by homeschool advocates is more one-on-one time with each child.

Sometimes I think that's an absurd thing to claim, because that's the last thing it seems I have to offer. I feel like I'm constantly short on time in general, and time with each individual child to nurture their academic pursuits at each individual pace and learning style...hear the sound of me laughing! Instead I constantly struggle with knowing how to balance everyone's needs. If I concentrate on getting the older kids through a full day of "school," the younger ones (and the house) seem a bit neglected. If I focus on the younger ones, not much "school" happens. So I walk this very fine line between order and chaos as I try to balance both worlds and keep them in harmony. It's a little messy, it's a little loud...but somehow it all comes together, and they're always learning, no matter what kind of day we have.

But when the scales start to tip toward chaos, and when I feel I'm flying off in five different directions at once, I realize I have to be purposeful in correcting the balance. It means just doing with math with one child who might need a little extra direction that day, and surrendering to the fact that everyone else is probably playing upstairs instead of "doing school" during that time. It means slowing down to look each child in the eyes when they're talking to me, instead of including listening in a list of things I'm multitasking. It means remembering to get down to a little one's eye level when I'm talking to them, so that they know I really see them. It means stopping in the middle of getting the breakfast dishes done when someone comes to me with a box of Duplo Legos and implores "Play?," even though I really "need" to get on to our schoolwork.

I still picture this idyllic world in which I have time to do each subject properly (at least in the way I think it should be done!) with each child, and play with the younger ones, AND keep the house in order... and I still know that's fantasy. Reality is much more hectic. But each morning offers fresh opportunities for me to learn and love with five great people - sometimes one-on-one, usually all together in helter-skelter fashion, always just the way I like it.


PS Let's be real...sometimes I want to run screaming out the front door and down the street in pursuit of some personal sanity. That's life. It's still a good one!