My Career

This week, I realized that I spend a total of 5 hours a day teaching my children. That's FIVE hours of SITTING with them, talking with them, directing & guiding them, and helping them learn.

That's FIVE hours of nothing else getting accomplished.

To some homeschool moms, this seems like a lot. This seems a bit daunting. I mean, there's dinner to cook, laundry to do, house to clean, gardens to harvest, canning to be done, dresses to be sewn, etc., etc. Trust me, I thought this was a lot of time, as well.

However, this year I have a bit of a different mindset. Something more important than a home-made quilt is being accomplished. I am spending time with my kids. I am not rushing school so that I can get the things I NEED to get done finished. What I NEED to accomplish is this: raise children who know that I love them and have an education they (& their parents) won't be ashamed of.

I look at it this way. Many of America's moms are working 40 hour weeks. That's 8 hours, five days a week. With drive-time, most of those moms are away from home 9 hours a day. That's 9 hours of no cleaning, no laundry, no baking, no gardening, etc., etc. So, if I spend 5 hours a day doing none of those things because I am TEACHING MY KIDS, why should I feel guilty? Why shouldn't I enjoy myself? After all...everyone is taught that they should strive to have a job they love.

I went to college to be a teacher. I love to teach. If I rush the teaching part of my day just so I can clean my house (a job I, well, DON'T love), I am only succeeding in creating a stressful environment and no one is having any fun.

I realize that some moms just do not have 5 hours to sit and teach. There are some exceptions (those with newborns being at the top of the list). However, the time you do HAVE to sit and teach, I challenge you to ENJOY. Don't look at it as time when chores are suffering. Look at it as time your child will treasure and benefit from for the rest of his life.

It's my career and I am loving it.