scrapbookbuzz Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Today, I was thinking about what it takes to be a homeschool parent (usually mom). What I think most of us DON'T think about (nor do the non-homeschooling people we know/meet) is that WE have at least two full time jobs that overlap. Unlike a public/private school teacher who, while at work, is able to focus primarily on her teaching job while teaching, then any jobs at home while at home we have them both mixed together or, at least, layered on top of one another, and therefore tend to think about them both at the same time all the time. What this means is that we, the homeschool moms, are continuously thinking about all the jobs that need to be done in both home and school, while we are teaching, assisting, coralling, disciplining, discipling, managing, etc. When you combine the physical effort with what we do along with the emotional and spiritual effort it takes, I think I can honestly claim that NO ONE has a more difficult/arduous job than we do! So, Mom, I write all this to tell you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! And if you're exhausted most to all of the time, THIS is the reason! AND that it is OKAY to take a break now and then, even for a week or two. DO NOT stress because you are sick and there's no one around to take care of you. DO NOT stress when everything goes wrong in the house when you're trying to get schooling done. I think we stress because we THINK we're not doing a "perfect" job and we just might mess up our kids. The REALITY of what WE do and accomplish probably scares the pants off of most people and, subconsciously, that's why they question your ability to homeschool. They are really questioning their own ability. AND they probably have enough difficulty with their own ONE full time job and wonder why any sane person would choose to homeschool. Well, we all know we're not completely sane or we wouldn't be doing this! :lol: BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY: KUDOS TO YOU, MOM, FOR DIVING IN AND BRAVING THE WATERS OF TWO (IF NOT MORE) SIMULTANEOUS JOBS! YOU'RE AWESOME!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Amen. (I spent the last 24 hours in bed with salmonella. the house is a wreck, but Dh kept them alive. :-) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Accurate statement, mouse, but I have to give God the credit because He is the one that helped me see it clearly! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 WHY do we not have a "like" button??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Pass me a pillow, Scrap. I'm ready for my nap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinmami01 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 What a great reminder. DS hasn't been feeling well and our schedule is off. I'm exhausted from lack of sleep and not getting much done and still keeping a work from home job. I think I am taking that nap...right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianmomtofour Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 THANK YOU! I needed this. I have had 6 weeks of house guests in the past 2 months, (the last of whom just left this morning), and I was feeling guilty for doing a light school day today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... *snort* Huh? Sorry, I kind of dozed off there... I don't seem to be getting any more sleep now than when I had an infant in the house. I wonder why... :glare: :grouphug: to everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Thanks. I just got home from co-op and am wiped out. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Wiped-out here, too. The puppy (10 months old, whom we adopted 3 days ago) is not house-trained and is also evidently related to Houdini (twice has gotten out of a room with a securely closed door. Need to find a crate (even though we recently sold ours). And my ds has been a pistol lately, whining about schoolwork and not being obedient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 I think it's NAP time, y'all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Thank you! I needed to hear that. I've been exhausted the last few weeks. Next week is our official school vacation, but we've been so busy this week we've barely done any school, and I feel guilty about that. Maybe I shouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I think it's NAP time, y'all! I took a nap this afternoon. I told everyone, "I've done lots today. I'm sleepy. And I deserve this nap!" And would you know, they let me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 A couple of months ago, dh took all the kids for the day, while I spent the day doing heavy cleaning around the house--you know the kind of deep cleaning that usually leaves me ready to crawl into bed with exhaustion before dinner time. Well, by the time the dh and the kids got home in the evening, I was kinda tired, but I had sooo much more energy than I do after a normal school day. It made me realize that I must be doing a lot even on those days when I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Thank you for this. I was feeling a little guilty for reducing my commitment list today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Thank you for posting this, Scrap! I needed to hear it today!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Add to this the stress of being a one income of family for most of us. I had school and scout stuff going on this week too. Which meant I was on the phone more than I would like handling scout deadlines during schooltime. I still managed to do a full day of school and cook 2 healthy homemade meals from scratch and fold and almost put away 2 loads of laundry today and run the dishwasher and do the pots. All in a day's work, right? But we have a car that stopped running yesterday, so dh had to take mine. I need mine to run all of the errands we need to do, and really want to call AAA to get it to the mechanic to get it repaired. But dh wants to wait until his day off on Sat. so that he can look at it himself first and possibly repair it himself. But that means no co-op for me this week. So now I get to spend tomorrow calling people to fill in during school. It means I may or may not be able to get to church on Sun. where I have responsibilities and to a bday party out of town that night and spend that night with my mother like I said I would. If we had a 2nd income I wouldn't think twice about using a mechanic on a week like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 My nanny always said you can have educated children or a clean house but not both. lol I think that is why she was always so relaxed. She focused on what she decided her primary job was and then if there was time did the house. While I spend all day trying to make everything perfect. Thank you for the reminder! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 You guys should be proud of all you do without having to make guessing games about other women's lives. Let's just say that this was not a good thread for me to read tonight. Right now, I feel like I have several jobs that I can't do justice to because of the time I have to be away from home:sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) I work 20-30 hrs per week outside of the house. When noon hits and I go home, I've worked 5-7 hrs already. People outside of the house make demands of my time, demands that are absolutely impossible for me to meet even if I wanted to. They have no CLUE the 17 hour solid days I'm putting in. Full time working moms with kids in daycare/school and a cleaning service have given me lip about how much more work they do than me. Whatevah! Edited February 16, 2012 by Lisbeth clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Amen. (I spent the last 24 hours in bed with salmonella. the house is a wreck, but Dh kept them alive. :-) ) There are days where alive is enough, entertained/occupied is good, clean (kids not house) is better and everything else is just a huge bonus. Stomach bugs definitely fall under that category. (Hope you're on your feet and better soon!) And sometimes it is hard to explain that you have two jobs (at least) in the same office and live 24/7 with all your co-workers. And your family lives there too. And they are all the same people. And there is no leaving the office at the end of the day. It is a tough transition but can be done. Hang in there folks! Edited February 16, 2012 by JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Needed that today, thanks! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Add in a third overlapping job if you work from home on salary :) :iagree: OP I love the post. It is so true. I love how those that do not homeschool think we have so much free time on our hands. I look at my sutuation as basically having 4 fulltime overlapping jobs, (teach school, the home, my actual paid job as a home daycare, and all the kids therapies etc for their special needs). How in the heck do they figure I have loads of freetime? The funny thing is I run the beavers group and after my beavers leave I help with the cubs/scouts for 30 minutes until they are done. I also handle the letter writing/grant requests etc. We were requesting help from the parents of the boys with 1 activity coming up. Most of them said no, they are too busy and pointed out they work all day and so in the evening they have to tend the house and could not possibly help out for that 1 hour. 1 of them even made a comment that the only reason I can volunteer the way I do is because I was *only* a stay at home mom. Suuuure that explains it :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berry Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Yes, and to make matters ever harder, we have several bodies home all day to make the housework that much more!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Yes, and to make matters ever harder, we have several bodies home all day to make the housework that much more!! :iagree:Amen to this! I visit friends' homes whose kids go to school and I have to tell myself, well of course their house is clean... no one is home to mess it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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