People around me complain a lot about how fast time whizzes by. Their children grow up overnight and parents feel like the wonderful moments with their children are fleeting. I totally understand this feeling since I experienced it for those three short years my kids were in public school. I was working and so life was hectic. Between work and volunteering in the school and taking care of the house, I had little time to sit back and enjoy my kids. Life whizzed by.
Now that we are well, well into our homeschooling journey, life is different. I spend nearly every moment of my day with my kids. My life is happy, without any whizzing. We have nothing but slow, wonderful days filled delicious kitchen smells and a comfortable, and yet jam-packed, routine that is perfect for our family.
When the Hub and I began homeschooling, life was not slow and gentle. It was hard and long and sweaty and filled with daily frustration and negotiations. We knew what we wanted for our kids and what our children needed to be engaged and challenged. So we pushed along and did not give in. It was a time of really getting to know the natures of our children in detail and then adapting a homeschooling method to meet the educational goals we have for our kids. Most importantly it was a time of us learning to respect our children and our children learning to respect us. Then life was not whizzing. It was, frankly, not wonderful either. Life for those months of transition were among the hardest ever. But also they were absolutely worth suffering through in order to reach the other side of homeschooling bliss.
Time does not whizz by anymore. I savor every moment with my kids and family, but it is not fleeting. This wonderful life stretches ahead of me in a seemingly endless path of joy and adventure. Homeschooling is not a separate activity for us anymore. My husband and I have made a family that we cherish and together we all wind through the path of life, learning and loving along the way. Without any whizzing.
And that is perhaps the best part about homeschooling.
