I was on a trip recently that required a 6-hour drive in each direction. I was alone (which made it like a vacation!) and so I of course listened to whatever I wanted, which was my favorite podcast, Called to Homeschool. In one of the episodes, they discussed things they as moms have learned or gained from homeschooling. One point they brought up was dealing with problems with difficult kids, as opposed to sending your kid off to school all day so you can kind of ignore any issues you may be having.
I had some time to think on that one. My oldest and I butt heads like crazy. When he went to kindergarten I was like “Thank goodness, I need a break!” And when I felt called to homeschool I thought, “either he or I will die. This can’t end well.” Obviously that was a bit exaggerated, but man oh man have I had to work through some things. If I sent him off to a full day of school and then only spent some time with him on weekends, it would be easy to kind of gloss over any issues we had. Some days I still dream about doing that. Instead, we got tossed right into the center, the heart of those issues. And let me tell you, it’s still a work in progress. It is refining, it is frustrating, it is soul-stretching, it is tireless work. And I am so grateful for the mother I am becoming because of it.
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