Gotta get away
I am really enjoying all the great questions that are being sent my way. Many of them are so similar, it becomes easy to see the most common fears that new homeschoolers have. This is a question that was asked in 3 different ways here, and I saw a similar question on a parenting forum I spend time on. Since this is so thought about I am excited to read all of your answers on this topic.
I am thinking about pulling my daughter out of school this year. She is eight and I am not happy about the education she is getting or with the things she seems to be surrounded by. But I worry about getting a break. I mean, I love her, but I’m not used to having her with me all the time. And I have a three year old son that needs me constantly. I am afraid that being with them all day by myself is going to drive me batty. How do you deal with needing to take time away to unwind? Especially during the school year and during the week when everyone is working or at school themselves.
I’m curious to see how you get breaks away when you need them? How do you handle being the sole caregiver all day? And for those of you who made the transition from school to home, how did you deal with that? I’m looking forward to your responses. 
homeschool, homeschooling, children, parenting, break
July 27th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
This was exactly where I was a year and a half ago… only it was TWO eight year old daughters! LOL
I’ve found it’s actually easier to spend all day with the kids than it was to spend part of the day with them. Why? I think it’s because the noise/energy/chaos stays at a constant level throughout the day. You don’t have a relatively quiet household suddenly buzzing with activity. Being constant, the noise and buzz of activity fades into the background and is less noticable.
Having said that, you still need regular breaks. Go shopping alone when hubby can watch the kids. Or, if you’re lucky like I am, take an annual week long vacation to visit your sister without any kids at all
July 27th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
That is an excellent point. If I had not already been a SAHM for 5 years leading up to homeschooling I’m sure I would’ve had my doubts. As it is I went through my adjustment period awhile ago and I have found many fun things to do that have nothing to do with kids but that I can still do with them around. I found myself sucked into watching the TV and getting nothing done which made me feel terrible so we just don’t turn it on unless it’s quiet time (and the kids get a movie while mommy gets a rest) or bedtime when they usually get a cartoon. I always have a good book on hand to read since I really enjoy reading; this is an easy escape in that I can travel anywhere in a matter of minutes, plus it demonstrates for my kids that reading is fun and my oldest is now sitting down on the couch to read next to me from her own stash of library books. I have discovered ways that I can help others, like learning how to knit so that I can make prayer shawls for our church’s ministry. I am also developing several pages of our church’s website, something that I love but for which I do not need a babysitter. I also have at least 2 nights a month that I get to go out with my girlfriends while dh stays home with the kids.
In other words, make sure that you take the time to do things you enjoy. I have found so much time for myself simply by teaching my kids more things they can do around the house (putting away laundry, sweeping the kitchen floor, etc.). They know it’s a privilege to have mommy home as their teacher and with teamwork we get it all done. You may also be pleasantly surprised by how much your 3yo loves having your 8yo around more; they will learn together.
July 28th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
My oldest (who is only 6) went to full-time preschool for a year before I decided to homeschool for kindergarten last year. I thought it would be really weird to have her home, but it felt pretty normal. School had been so disruptive to our day that it was nice to have that out of our lives.
I don’t need a ton of alone time, but I do find that my fuse gets a bit short if I don’t make time for myself. I rely on my mom, a mother’s helper, my husband and the occasional babysitter, to give me short breaks (unfortunately, I don’t schedule these often enough!). You may consider ‘trading’ time with another family so that you can get alone time without needing to spend money on a babysitter.
It’s important that we make time for ourselves! I can’t say I have it all figured out, but I’m trying to take care of myself as well as I take care of my family.