Not One Day at a Time

"How's homeschooling going?"

That's the most common question I'm getting these days. Most of the time, it's from a family member or friend who is genuinely interested and is asking the question to be encouraging. But, every now and then, I can tell the question is being asked suspiciously, and the asker is waiting for me to admit colossal failure.I answer the question honestly (which right now is, "good but we're still trying to iron out some wrinkles").Then I usually get some more questions about curriculum, which is code for "are you really doing anything?"

Unlike most things in life, homeschooling ISN'T something you take one day at a time. To truly understand and appreciate it, you need to see the big picture. Gracie might not learn a new math concept every single day. It's not about that. It's about the process, about who she will be and what she will know in ten YEARS, not ten months.

It's like watching your kids grow. My parents live in Virginia, and when they come to visit after five months, they say " Oh my goodness, I can't believe how much the kids grew!". But I was with them every day, and didn't notice they had grown. I fed them nutritious food, and made sure they got exercise and rest. I knew they were growing, but I didn't see it happening.

One day I will wake up and say, "Oh my goodness, I can't believe how much the kids know!" because I was with them every day, and didn't notice how much they had learned. I "fed" them, made sure they "exercised" and even "rested". I knew they were learning, even if I didn't see it happening.