Don't You Get Tired of Being With Your Kids ALL the Time?

One of the comments that I hear, when people find out that we homeschool is some variation of "Oh I could never do that, my kids would drive me crazy!"

And they have a point . . . if you're going to homeschool, then it's pretty ESSENTIAL, that you actually enjoy spending time with your children, because, you're going to be spending a LOT of time together!

My daughter, Lexie, hit the nail on the head, during a recent conversation, in which my girls were shocked to hear that some kids their age actually don't WANT to talk to their parents! (My girls can't really wrap their mind around someone not wanting to talk, ever, but discussion is such a key part of not only our homeschooling, but how our home runs in general, that it threw them for a loop to discover this . . . ). After thinking about it, Lexie said "Well, I guess, since we homeschool, we HAVE to talk things out, because we're always together!"

And she's right! Communication, and knowing how to get along with each other is essential to homeschooling. If you don't LIKE your kids, or don't like being with them, then homeschooling is going to be pretty miserable. . .

The good news is, if you haven't already figured this out, kids are AWESOME!!! And, once you realize a couple things, you just might enjoying your kids more . . . One thing to remember is that kids aren't mini-adults. Expecting them to just automatically KNOW all the social skills that adults generally know, is going to be a recipe for disaster. Expecting them to spend forever (in kid-time) sitting quietly while adults talk about boring adult stuff, is probably not feasible. . . though, my kids enjoy adult conversation AS LONG AS they're allowed to participate and ask questions. The other thing is to remember, kids have alot that's worth listening to. I learn FROM my kids, and I learn WITH my kids! I think I get the best end of the deal!

So here's what I've learned about being with my kids all the time:

• Pray, a LOT! (that's just part of parenting, no matter what)
• Make sure you have the right attitude. If YOU see it as a burden to endure, it will be. If you see it as an awesome, God-given, privilege, it will be.
• Communicate - communicate your expectations to them. Listen to what they have to say.
• Move beyond behavior modification. If you can't trust your kids to do what's right, because it's right, things are going to be hard. Several years ago, I purchased the audio version of Parenting is Heart Work, I review it every couple of years to make sure I'm staying on track, reaching their HEARTS, not just the outward stuff.
• Tune out all the messages the world is giving you, about how children are a burden, and are keeping you from your true calling and all that . . . really SEE your children, really HEAR them . . . and discover what amazing individuals each of your children truly is.
• And finally, recognize that there WILL be hard today (in fact, as I write this, I'm having a really challenging day with one of my darlings), but it's worth it, and God will see you through!

To see what 80+ other homeschoolers think is essential this week, visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog. Here's some of them:

Lisa @ Our Simple Kinda Life
Tabitha @ The Homeschool Four
Gwen @ Tolivers to Texas
Amy @ Counting Change. . . Again
Jacquelin @ A Stable Beginning
Gena @ I Choose Joy!
Adena @ AdenaF
Stacie @ Super Mommy to the Rescue
Jen @ Happy Little Homemaker