No one ever said homeschooling was easy. There will definitely be days when you want to send them back to public (or private school), just as there are days when teachers want to send children back home.
Today is one of those days for me. I instead of listening to my instructions this morning, my daughter is throwing objection, after objection at me. As if I do not know how to write a book report, she is telling me why the model will not work instead of opening her mind and listening. I know our butting of heads comes from her need to always be right combined with her pre-teen hormones. However, knowledge of her personality and current mood is not making my morning easier.
How does a homeschooling mom handle days like this? Well, first, I got grumpy, and then angry, then started to stomp away. (Hey, I am human too) Then I came back with a completely different assignment for her to do until we both cooled down. We will revisit this book report later. Having a good relationship is so much more important that if her “Anne of Green Gables” book report is completed today.
At the end of the day, I have to remember all of the reasons I homeschool and not let minor disagreements get in the way of the homeschooling process and more importantly, our relationship.
As my daughter gets older and goes through her preteen and then teenage years, I know we will butt heads more and more often. I am also aware that if she was in school, she might not give the teacher as hard a time, and probably prefer the teacher over her mother on many a day.
These middle school years, where a child transitions from child to young adult are precious and fragile. These are the years where she builds her opinions and viewpoint on sex, drugs, and even tastes in music. These are the years when she has her first experiences with boys and will probably go on her first date (sob). These are the years when I want to hold her close. Therefore, I will let no pre-teen attitude, or hormonal surge cause me to throw my hands up and walk away from homeschooling (for more than 30 seconds).
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