My eight year old walked into the kitchen the other night and said, “Mom, did you know there are 8,760 hours in a year?” To which I replied, “Those are a lot of hours buddy!” He seemed confused by my response, and he quickly disagreed. “An entire year mom!! I thought there would be millions or billions. That isn’t very much time to me.” When he walked out of the kitchen I thought about what he said and how much my eight year olds word’s ring true for many of us running a home.
During my two month “blog hiatus” my family and I weathered through the stomach flu, a hurricane that threatened to tear right through our city, the impending holidays, and our usual day to day life. This pregnant momma is doing some major juggling on a regular basis, and while I’d like to think I have a pretty good handle on things, most days, I could really use those extra hours we all dream of.
During one of our field trips I got to talking with a fellow homeschool mom. We began chatting about our curriculums, the hours I spend educating my littles, and a few of the struggles we shared. Homeschooling is a bitter sweet journey at times. There are days, even weeks, where it seems God has his hand on everything that we’re doing. These are seasons in which peace, understanding, and grace are plentiful. But, there are those dreary seasons that exist in every homeschooler’s world. Seasons that fester in self-doubt, negativity, impatience and fear. Those cloudy days take your eyes right off of the reason you brought your babies home, and keep your focus on those dreadful HOURS.
I’m constantly reminded of those age old sayings—time is of the essence, time is on my side, and time is an illusion. I can relate to each of these, but the fact that it is an illusion, as a believer it speaks to me. Whether you’re a mother trying to carry the world on your shoulders, a student attempting to meet deadlines, or a husband working tirelessly to provide for a family… We’re all racing the clock, constantly. And while there should always be a “beginning” and an “end” to everything, I find it comforting knowing that the One that leads us dwells in a place that knows no physical laws. This idea is beyond our own understanding, of course. Unfortunately, we’ve become accustomed to living in our past, worrying about the future, and completely losing site of the present moment. I believe this is why the question I am asked most by parents that are venturing into homeschooling they’re children is, “How many hours a day do you school?” Admittedly, this question always makes me uneasy. Partly because I never want to be a stumbling block in someone’s calling to educate their kids at home, and it’s a possibility my answer (whether my schedule seems too little or too much) may dictate their decision. But, I also cringe because I’m usually unhappy with the reality of our school hours. I like to begin the year refreshed and with the firm decision to make the relationship between my children and I more important than their curriculum, but a couple of months in and I’m completely falling short. I’m well aware of the vapor that is life, and while my children’s knowledge and abilities are extremely important to me, our impromptu conversations about life, trips to meet friends, and days where we put away our text books and throw an egg in some vinegar to see what “Cool thing might happen”…. Well, those are far more important than any math fact, grammar mechanic, or site word I could ever teach my kids. So today I’m choosing to live in the moment, and I hope this read will encourage you to do the same.
Jenn
Thanks, great article.
Beautiful Jenn. You’re an inspiration.
Thank you so much!
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