Life is complicated, but if it weren't it would be dull.

I think I'll take complicated, because I get bored with dull.

I've come to this blog many days writing about my stress over homeschooling and life. I am certainly not alone in the woes of homeschooling. All of us, who homeschool, have our moments when we feel the pain. I think that is why we flock together; we just get it.

A friend of mine posted a link on Facebook today. It was a post on this very matter. It is the correlation between school and life that I, and so many, struggle with on occasion. Here is the link:

http://prayingwithoneeyeopen.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/the-real-problem-with-homeschooling/

There is so much more to homeschooling than just school. It is about being with each other all day, every day. It is about learning to be kind to one another no matter how exhausted you feel. It is trying to find the calm inside your own head, when your home is in total chaos. Homeschooling is not just spelling, math or English, it is life. It is knowing your children are not leaving for eight hours, so you can get the house clean. It is finding the time to clean between science experiments and diagraming sentences. It is knowing you have to teach them and guide them for everything life will throw at them, not just algebra (which I LOVE!). It is truly knowing, on those days when you really want to give up, that you'll never give up because we are talking about your children and their future.

No, John doesn't get the same stress. And most homeschool families will tell you the same, because most families have one parent who does all, or most, of the teaching. That one parent also chooses the curriculum too. John will tell you it is stressful, though he is not part of the daily routine. He does help with science (I'm clueless!) and he helps me with problems, or situations, as they occur. His input and encouragement are essential to our success.

It is trying not to scream at your children because your laptop is irritating the snot out of you. Okay, I failed on that one. I did scream, "What?!" But I apologized and they know my computer is getting on my last nerve right now. Doesn't make it right though.

My point here is homeschooling is not easy. Neither is raising children to be decent, upstanding adults. But as parents that is our job. It is just homeschooling families have the school stuff too. :D