Before And After
For Home Education Week Dana is having a week long series of writing prompts for people to join in. Today is the first day of the fun and for it Dana has reflected back to life before she became a home educator. Feel free to jump in and celebrate home Education Week too!
I feel like I became a home educator the minute my kids were born, but before that what was I?
I was certainly nothing like I am now, and yet exactly. If that makes any sense. I was a bit of a free spirit, probably what people called flaky. When my roommate and I didn’t get along I just packed up and moved, when my boss and I didn’t get along I just quit and found a new job, when living in Missouri wasn’t working anymore I hopped on a bus with less than half of my possessions and rode down to the Gulf of Mexico. I hated being tied down, stuck, I felt like a caged animal just pacing the floor.
And yet here I am, “stuck” with two young children. Tied down to being a housewife and home educating mom. Except, it doesn’t feel like a cage. OK, yes sometimes it does. But not as much as being trapped by the school’s schedule would. Being told when I could go and when I had to be back, that wouldn’t cut it for me at all. I need freedom or I start to rot.
Though I do miss 3 AM Denny’s runs and sleeping till 10 in the morning.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I agree. The freedom of being a home school mom is exhilarating. I was a runner–when I didn’t like something I ran away (more often in my mind than literally but more than a few times I left though I was the sort to run away and always come back.) I HATE schedules and having to do things someone else’s way and being able to home school means I don’t have to and can give the kids the same freedoms I longed for.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:47 am
You said: “But not as much as being trapped by the school’s schedule would. Being told when I could go and when I had to be back, that wouldn’t cut it for me at all. I need freedom or I start to rot.” That reminds me of when my son was in PS 1st grade. Written in the parent/teacher policy book was that “Parents are NOT to take their children out of school for trips, vacations, etc. They will miss valuable school time. Please plan your trips during school vacations.” HA! That was enough of that. The audacity of someone telling us when we could or could not take family vacations? Absurd. THAT’s a cage.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Loved the last line… I think if we are honest we all miss that freedom at times.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I agree with that
Dh and I do miss our 3 am dates at Denny’s, too, but now we can have lunchdates with the whole family at Denny’s (one right next to DH’s office) on a Tuesday if we want. That’s freedom. I never thought in a million years I would be a home educating mom of 3 but I love where we are as a family.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Hmm…I forgot about this so it must not be that important, but now that you mention it, I do sort of miss leaving the house at 2AM for Dunkin’ Donuts because I can’t sleep. Or just going someplace without worrying about coats and diaper bags and buckling every one in.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
There are times when the freedom associated with homeschooling just blesses my socks off. I remember making a run to the funeral home with my sister the day after my Dad’s service. It seemed my nieces and nephew would get unexcused absenses if they returned to school without a letter from the funeral director saying they had been at a funeral. Apparently my sister’s word wasn’t good enough.
I could hardly believe what I was doing ~
March 30th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
We took a neighbor to school last week. Between getting up early to get her there by 7:10, (What happened to school starting at 8:30?)and waking my girls from their naps to pick her up we were exhausted. Then after being gone all day this girl had homework. She barely saw her mother before bedtime. I am thankful for the freedom of homeschool, too. That was crazy!
March 30th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I agree with you there is great freedom in homeschooling. Unfortunatly my son goes to a charter school while I homeschool my daughter so Im still tied to a schedule!
Freedom is a state of mind really.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:22 am
[...] home educator, Summer described pretty much what’s been going through my head. She wrote that being a home educator means being: …tied down to being a housewife and home educating mom. Except, it doesn’t feel [...]
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:36 am
Once your kids get a little older, you can do the 3am Denny’s run….and then, by virtue of sheer exhaustion, you will get your 10am “sleep-in” time, too.
Thanks for sharing!
April 6th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Thanks, Summer. I’m going to remember this post when I’m feeling “tied down” by all of this. Having not actually experienced sending my kids to school, I sometimes forget that most of the population is tied to the school schedule, etc. Thank goodness I am freeeeeeee!
April 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I have those moments too, those days when I wonder, “WHY am I not putting these kids on a bus to somewhere ELSE?” … but all I have to do is pause and think about Tuesdays, when we all have to be at our church by 9:00 and what it entails getting all four up and ready to be out the door in time … and that’s 9:00, at least an hour later than most schools start! Or look out the window at my neighbor’s kids, or rather at the neighborhood where their kids are NOT because as soon as they get home from school they have to do homework, practice music, get to chess club, do swim team practice … kids exactly my own kids’ ages, but they barely know each other …
It certainly puts things into perspective until the bad patch turns around again!