Books. I miss reading good books with my kids – those exciting stories that suck you in and leave you breathless for more. I love reading to my kids. Did you know I was a musical theater major before switching to Professional Writing? Trust me – this Mama knows how to bring a book to life.
There isn’t nearly enough time these days to read the really good books. With their required school reading, they are so busy trying to make their RP (or AR) reading goals that they don’t have time to get lost in the really good books. Especially because reading has not come easily for either of my older two. (Landon is proving to be a much better reader. He’s catching on faster than the other two did.) Because reading is tough, I like to read to them. I want them to see the world open up inside their imaginations.
Good books do that, don’t they? They introduce a life and a character that is so glorious and real that you feel as though you know them. I want my kids to feel a sense of loss when they lay a book down after finishing it. Right now, the best way to introduce that feeling to them is to read to them…when we have time.
We don’t have time to work on their Russian language anymore, either. I’m relegated to 20 minutes a day because it’s all I feel I can ask from them after a long day at school.
This makes me sad. This makes me miss homeschooling more than anything. Yes, there are things about school I have really enjoyed and there are areas where I can see they have thrived. And yes, there are things about homeschooling I have not missed even a little bit (Math, Science, the pressure).
But it doesn’t change the fact that I miss the freedom I had with my kids when I had them home. For now, they are in a good place, but it doesn’t make me miss it less.
Some parenting decision are made and they feel really right. Some are made and you immediately know they’re wrong. And others are made that are neither right nor wrong – they just are. Schooling feels like that for me – for our family. Putting the kids in school was neither right nor was it wrong. It was just the decision we felt like we needed to make. There are pros and cons to both scenarios and I think every year we will weigh all of our options. Because that’s what you do when you have these small ones to raise.
You make decisions that are hard then you move forward in confidence that it will all work out in the end.
Parenting…it’s not for the faint of heart, you know?
What’s a hard parenting decision you’ve made – one that didn’t necessarily feel right or wrong, but just a decision that needed to be made?
you are so right. incidentally, having the time to read together was at the top of my list when choosing to homeschool. make a list of the books you want to enjoy together this Summer and then make it a wonderful Summer tradition. but i get your main point here… i get it… way to make a decision at all.
Ah. Thanks for reminding me that I have this summer to read to them more. I’ve been feeling frustrated with the lack of time. 🙂
Parenting is hard.
My husband and I talked last night about how we’re going to keep our 3-year-old son who is always on the move with us in church for awhile to train him to sit quietly when asked. We did this with our daughter, who is now 5, but, well, they aren’t the same kid. 🙂 He’s been going to the nursery, so it’s going to be a big change to require him not to do that and to stay with us while his friends and his big sister go to their classes. Our thought is then when he moves up to the next class in the fall, he’ll have some training under his belt. We shall see.
It’s tough when they’re all different and require different decisions, isn’t it? It is never easy! 😉
You think you’ll ever go back to homeschooling?
I agree with you, the pressure is intense. Constantly struggling with worrying about if you’re doing enugh. Yesterday I quit, but am thinking about rehiring myself for the position…tomorrow…cause today we’re taking a snow day…even though I’m preeeetttty sure it only snowed for about 4 mintues.
I am open to going back again someday. I think I would enjoy it a little more when they’re older and can do a bit more independent study. And if I go back, I think I would be more comfortable in a hybrid program where they go once or twice a week and I supplement the off days. I’m not sure I’m cut out for the day to day, every day on my own homeschooling.
But I won’t say no. I’ve learned saying never is a bad, bad idea. 😉
enough-oops!
TOTALLY understand! I loved my book budget when we homeschooled. A suggestion that a teacher gave us to help one of our sons with his reading was to give him a copy of the book we were reading aloud. That helped improve the flow and comprehension. It didn’t fix it, but it DID help!
Yes! The book budget. I love new books! 🙂 And that’s a great idea to let them ead along while I read.
While this year has been such a great year holding on a little longer, I know our days at home will likely end in the next couple of years if not sooner. Similar sentiments – no right or wrong…just have to find what works best in the now. For now I’m cherishing these hours under my roof {when they aren’t arguing for the sake of arguing or rowdily breaking something that I once cared about that is…}
Cherish. Such a great word. I try to cherish the mments. Some days (like, for example today) I simply try to survive the moments. 🙂