Homeschooling Concerns

There are several things that scare me about starting to homeschool Einstein. My 3 biggest concerns are:

1. What if I forget to teach him something?

2. What if I can't emotionally handle it?

3. Can I keep up with my regular demands and homeschooling?

1. What if I forget to teach him something?

I voiced this concern to a more experienced homeschool mom. She chuckled about it a little bit, then told me, "Everyone misses something. The beauty of homeschool is that once you realize you forgot something, you can just go back and teach it."

I hadn't ever thought of it that way. In my mind, I was still stuck on the public school teaching method, where if you missed a concept at school, that was too bad, because the class will keep going on, and they can't wait for one student.

But with homeschooling, if I forget to discuss the Transcontinental Railroad, I can just go back and learn about it. There is no big history test that they will fail if they have the flu. If we decide that we will tackle Chemistry a different year because it isn't clicking this year, we can do that! 

2. What if I can't emotionally handle it?

One thing that is very consistent with Einstein is his emotional unpredictability. He will independently decide to study chess on his own for hours, then the next day, have a half hour melt-down because I won't let him wear the same underwear 4 days in a row. His emotions don't just go 0 to 60 in a few seconds, it goes from 100 to -100 then back again. 

But I again remind myself that I have handled him for 6 years so far, and I think of the end goal I want to accomplish- for him to be challenged academically and be shown great role models for behavior. And in order to do that, I MUST be a good role model. So if we need to take a break, we can.

And some great advice I got was to save all my "extra patience" for homeschool time. Because even if I go nuts as a mom sometime, I want my child to love learning. And me freaking out won't inspire curiosity or passion.

3. Can I keep up with my regular demands and homeschooling?

I have a lot on my plate. My older daughter has a rare genetic syndrome that requires constant care and supervision when she is home, plus a baby with the same condition at home all the time, a husband to give attention to, house that needs cleaned, meals that need cooked, lessons to plan, church volunteer work, lots to do!

The best thing that I can come up with here is to prioritize. My family will always be #1 for me. So if we are able to get in some learning and therapy, and be a happy family, then the rest doesn't matter. I do love having good food and a clean house! I feel like the order there helps me feel in control of my life and keep my sanity in tact, but I also know that my kids being educated is more important than the breakfast dishes being washed by 8 am.