Request for Advise

[La Condessa]

I have been looking into homeschooling and would really like to do this for my kids, when I have school-aged kids. However, I want to have a very large family, and I have had some pretty major complications after the c-section with my first daughter which are fairly likely to repeat themselves with future babies. Both my husband and I are wondering if I would be able to handle homeschooling, possibly multiple ages, with a new baby while recovering from surgery--not to mention having a toddler and/or a preschooler at the same time. On the other hand, I really feel that homeschooling would be better for my children. I thought I would ask for advice from some of the experienced moms out there, especially those with large families. Do you think I could do it? Do you have any suggestions for how?

Edited November 17, 2009 by mmconde

[Julie in Austin]

I don't have a huge family but I did homeschool while caring for a 3yo and recovering from a c-section.

 

It wasn't that bad. I didn't need to move much; they brought me stuff and we did school. I think it would have been harder to get the kids to school and preschool than to stay in my jammies all day and do school on the couch.

[5LittleMonkeys]

To give you encouragement...I have 5 dc, my best friend has 7 with one on the way, my other friends have 10dc, 6dc, and 5dc. We all homeschool . I haven't personally been through any pregnancy difficulties but at the beginning of this year I ripped my Achilles tendon in one leg and damaged the tendon in the other leg. I was completely immobilized for almost 6 weeks. We stayed on track through the whole 6 weeks and that was with a toddler and an 8 month old. Granted I have older dc as well who are wonderful in helping with the younger dc. My best friend has been hs'ing for 10 years and has been on bed rest during 3 of her pregnancies. The friend with 10 children has a son that has been through 5 heart surgeries in his short 13 years. So in answer to your first question, YES you can do this!

 

As far as general advice on how to do it I would say relax, stay organized, begin teaching your dc now to help with daily tasks and chores, take things one day at a time, and have fun. You can always catch up if you need to take some time off for recoveries. But you may not even need to catch up, you would be surprised at how much learning can happen on the couch. Some of our best ah-ha moments were during my recovery while I was feeding the baby on the couch, the toddler was building a tower with the dvd cases (we literally have hundreds) and the three girls were cuddled up on the couch with me while we read history books, or watched an awesome Nova documentary.

 

For us, life's up and downs and trials and tribulations don't get in the way of hs'ing because we just keep right on learning through it all.

 

To reiterate...you can do it!:D

[Susan in TN]

I have 6 kids - 3 are school age - and when I first started hsing, it never occurred to me that I would eventually have 6 kids. But it was the right thing for us to do at that time, and it is *still* the right thing. If you and dh think hsing is the way to go, then go that way. Don't worry about what tomorrow holds :).

 

You will get a lot of good advice here on planning and helpful emergency information on topics like: "I have a slice of cheese, rice, prunes, and a can of creamed corn...what can I make for dinner?" And believe it or not, you will get help!

 

As far as pregnancy recovery, depending on the amount of time needed, I'd plan to make THAT your "summer vacation". Have a few simple workbook-type lessons that your kids can sit and do on their own. Get a Netflix membership and have a steady stream of nature documentaries and edutainment available. See if you can hire a mother's helper for a few hours a week. Make a pile of pbj sandwiches and fill 12 sippy cups of milk/water for your kids to grab when they are hungry.

 

I've never needed major recovery time after having a baby, but when the time comes, if you and dh feel it is needed you can always put your kids in school for a semester or two until you get back on your feet. They'll be OK. :001_smile:

[alpidarkomama]

We just took a few weeks off. The recovery really isn't that bad. The worst part was trying not to laugh!

[La Condessa]

Thanks so much, everyone! I really appreciate the encouragement and ideas.

[Harriet Vane]

Another thought to throw in the mix is to school when you are well and schedule break for when you need it, rather than schooling the traditional school year with summers off. There's no law that says your breaks have to occur in June/July/August--you can determine your schedule based on what works best for your family.

[specialmama]

For me it would be harder to get everyone up and ready and drive them to school, pick them up, care for the baby alone all day......... than it would be to do some school from the couch. kwim?

 

Either way you will need help. So much depends on how close together they are and if your complications are life threatening or just keep you stuck on the couch.

 

If you have the first few close together then it won't really matter since they won't be school-aged anyway. This is why God gave us Mr. Rogers - I'm just sayin' ;)

 

 

:iagree: Homeschooling is far more relaxing than getting up, finding coordinating or at least clean clothes, making lunches, packing backpacks, finding the teacher's note which explains next Friday's hot dog day, putting the $3 for the field trip into an envelope, and then driving/walking/getting out to the bus stop. Not to mention the amount of homework many kids have. Seriously. If a 4th grader (for example) is to have 3 hours of homework, then WHY send them to school? You could give your child a better education by teaching 1 to 1 in your jammies, than spending the same amount of time getting them ready then helping with homework.

 

A friend of mine was bedridden for about 4 months while she homeschooled her 3 children. I did help out a bit, as did another mom, but mostly the kids just played and read and watched educational videos. At such a young age, don't underestimate the merits of play. Also, every family is different. What matters most to you? Perhaps your children would be more emotionally secure with you and a few months of relaxed homeschooling, than being sent to school and being away from you all those hours. Again, every family is different. But homeschooling is so much more than checking off boxes and sticking to schedules.