the truth about homeschooling.

the most annoying comment i get when people find out that we homeschool is, of course, the socialization comment.

but running a close second is this one:

"you have a lot more patience than i do! ha ha ha ha ha!"

don't get me wrong, ESPECIALLY if you have said this to me (or some other homeschooling mom or dad) at some point.  i don't find you annoying.

i find the assumption that i'm some sort of uber saint - whose kids never misbehave and are always perfect little angels sitting quietly at the dinner table, doing schoolwork - annoying.

especially on a day like today.

or a week like this week.

every day this week, we have gotten started with school at four thirty or later IN THE AFTERNOON.  this translates to mommy is pretty tired of kid nonsense already and kids are on some sort of crazy sugar high from afternoon snack (even if said snack contains no sugar).

it usually ends up with one or more kids screaming, "momma!  i'm done with my worksheet!  i need a new one!" while i'm trying to help another with his math worksheet.  or one daydreaming and singing when he should be practicing handwriting.  or bella crying because she doesn't have enough worksheets (and honestly, that kid could probably do worksheets all day long if i let her.  it's so weird).

anyway, my point is, i have no superhuman patience.  by golly, i wish i DID.  that would rock.

no, i end up fussing and losing my temper and getting frustrated and ending up the day by feeling like a total failure as a teacher/mom/whatever i am.

when people say, "oh, you must be like some saint or something!"  i always, always feel super guilty.

i feel like, hey, when i started this thing, i was excited.  and even when i just sit around lesson planning or thinking about what we're going to do next or just thinking about what it is i'm a part of, i get really excited because i get to watch my kids learn and develop a love for knowledge.

it's awesome.

so i feel really bad whenever i lose it.  when i get frustrated because beau isn't paying attention to his math worksheet, i forget that he's six and also a BOY and he would love nothing better than to run around the yard with a light saber in his hand ALL DAY LONG.   i could let him get up, run off some of that energy, and come back in a bit to finish that math worksheet.  because we can.

whenever i get annoyed with bella for begging for more worksheets, i could really just give her another worksheet to do instead of stressing about how the workbook she's in won't last until the end of the year if i give her more than two a day.  i can buy another workbook.  my schedule will survive.  meanwhile, instead of holding her back from learning even more, she might even zoom ahead and surprise me by skipping a grade or something.  who knows?

when xander is all, "no momma!  i'll do it by myself!  i don't want you to help me!" and i get upset because he gets the answer wrong...i could just help him fix it and be happy that he doesn't want me to hold the marker for him like he did in the beginning.

but i'm not perfect.  and sometimes i need to take a breather and remember these things.

the truth of the matter is i have regular-sized patience.

but i do have something that maybe some people don't have.

i have a super sized love for this homeschooling thing.

and sometimes, just sometimes, i get it right.