Finding Inspiration In The Homeschooling Struggles

Finding Inspiration in the Homeschooling Struggles

Tears, that is how all the days of 6 months of homeschooling our 4 children ended.

It felt as though it was all crashing down on and round me. The more that I tried to reach them, share with them and help them just fell on deaf ears.

I was in the midst of major homeschooling struggles as I spent time second guessing my worth as a homeschooling mom and there was no one close to me that understood what I was going through as I was the first in my family to ever dare to homeschool their children.

When you are a homeschooling momma you will face many struggles. Children will fail to grasp concepts you just know that they should be getting, people will question the job that you are doing and well you will be your biggest critic at the end of the day.

Yet, on these days that there seems to be an overwhelming amount of despair we can rest assured that there is some inspiration that can be found right where we are.

However, we have to be willing to take a moment to see it.

• Take a moment to simply breathe: Normally when we are struggling it is because we are overwhelmed. This causes us to lose focus on the grand picture. It becomes harder to spot encouraging moments because we are too busy trying not to drown in our own despair. This step is easier said than done I know. After all, we have to stay on top of all our school work, housework and well everything else we have going on. Yet, stepping back to breathe is a must!
• Look back on your journey: Sometimes we get so caught up in striving to keep up with deadlines that we forget where we have come from. We forget some of those moments that were triumphs for our homeschooling journey. Those moments can inspire us to continue in the moments that we are struggling to continue on.
• Seek out a support system: One of the craziest things that we do is strive to do this homeschooling journey alone. We need a strong support system. One with like-minded people who are in the trenches of homeschooling along with us. These people can help provide us with support, inspiration, and ideas when we are struggling. Many places have local groups that can be found right on FB and if your area does not have one there are plenty of FB groups that are open to all homeschooling families no matter the demographics.
• Make sure you are taking time to refill your own tank: We always seem to neglect ourselves because we feel that we can not afford to take time for ourselves. Frankly, we can not afford not to take time to ourselves. We have to spend a little time doing something that we love, fueling our own need to learn and just overall pampering ourselves. This can be as cheap as sitting in the library to read alone, taking a trip to a local coffee shop or visiting with a friend. However, this time helps to renew our spirits and help us to stay focused.
• Refer back to your family’s homeschooling mission statement: A homeschooling mission statement not only keeps us on track with the goal of our homeschooling journey. It also provides us with an amazing source of encouragement and inspiration in those really hard seasons of homeschooling. If you do not have a homeschooling mission statement there is no time like the present to make one. Who knows –  it may just provide you with a bit more encouragement to get through the school year with a smile.
• Remember this current season of struggling and dismay is temporary: I know that while you are in a struggling homeschooling season that it may seem as though you are never going to see the light at the end of the journey. However, you will, in fact, get through this. You and your child/children will come out on the other side with great success.

Homeschooling has many struggling moments. Moments when you want to give up and run away. However, homeschooling also has many days that are filled with great joy and inspiration. I hope that these tips will help you to discover inspiration even in those struggling seasons of homeschooling.

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Bridget is a work-at-home mom who knows the struggle of balancing homeschooling, blogging and all of life’s many twists and turns.She is the voice behind Little House in the Cove where she talks about faith, homeschooling, homesteading, marriage and more. Bridget’s main goal is to inspire women to be all that God desires them to be both for themselves and their family. In her spare time, you can find her curled up with a book, cuddle on the couch with her littles or sitting on her front porch enjoying the scenery. You can follow Bridget on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

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