Using the F-Word in My Homeschool

Homeschooling is challenging. Very challenging. The longer you do it, the more challenging it becomes. I’m only in year three of this journey and homeschooling one child so far (I have two more to go), and I can say this is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. And I don’t say things are hard. But, this, yes; it’s hard work! It’s parenting times 10!

I’ve wanted to quit more times than I would like to admit, so I find that using the F-word helps during those times. The F-word has gotten me through a lot of tough days where all I wanted to do was run away and not look back. Using the F-word has taken the edge off when my child simply loathes school or me, to be frank. The F-word comes up when my youngest sun is running around like a wild banshee during his brother’s lessons, and during the moments when {insert any everyday homeschooling occurrence here.}

Now, this is a family website, so the F-word is not what you think.

In my homeschool, the F-word is FLOW.

Anytime I feel like I’m heading over the edge of a cliff, I FLOW. When the day isn’t turning out how I pictured it, which is pretty much everyday, I FLOW. When the baby’s crying, my youngest sun is throwing his toys across the room, my oldest sun is refusing to do his math, and I’m going off of 3 hours sleep and barely remaining coherent, I FLOW.

Resistance is futile, dontchaknow? It makes things harder than they have to be. Flowing through the school day makes it more magical. It’s about feeling good. It’s about letting go whatever is causing dread in our homeschool day so we can keep this thing going. So, what does FLOW look like?

Here are some ways I FLOW in a typical homeschool day:

• Conscious breathing.   When I feel myself getting frustrated, I stop and breathe. This lets the energy begin to flow through me again. It also shows the children how to release the not-so-good feelings and let in better ones. After taking a few deep breaths, I’m usually ready to roll again.
• Using different ways to teach something.   I’m not a teacher by trade, but I’m a determined mama who loves her children enough to find what works for them. I pull out manipulatives, hit up YouTube, draw something to illustrate a concept, or have them jump on the trampoline during a lesson… whatever it takes to help teach a concept in a way they can understand. Am I always successful? Yes… eventually. The pyramids were not built in a day, so I try to keep perspective and know that eventually they’ll get it. The light bulb will turn on! FLOW is the key.
• We get outside.   If FLOW requires getting outside for lessons or a break, we do it. It’s that simple.
• We dance and listen to music throughout the day.   Every morning, before we start school, we have a dance party. I crank up some music from Spotify and we jam out. After that, I’ll put on some jazz for background music to keep things flowing. If nothing else, I enjoy it! Ha! #SorryNotSorryKids
• We try again tomorrow.   If we’re having one of those impossible days where everything feels like a struggle, then we stop and try again the next day. To me, homeschooling is about relationships, so it’s not worth it to dislike each other for the sake of the lesson plan. Besides, how much learning can happen when emotions are all over the place?

On a recent walk around the neighborhood

Out in nature learning

History is everywhere.

Sometimes you just need to go and get Icees.

FLOW is all about choosing the path that feels good. Does this mean that I always let myself and the children off the hook? Nope. It just means that I recognize the times that letting go is more important than soldiering on. When I look back on this experience, I want to know that we valued each other first, and the academics second. I hope that for my children as well.