There have been MANY days during the past 30 years of homeschooling that I wanted to quit! In fact, I told my husband on several different occasions that if homeschooling wasn’t a conviction for me, I’d enroll the kids in the Christian school that day!!
©Deposit Photos by @ kikkerdirk
Don’t get me wrong – if I had it to do over, I’d homeschool my kids again. I believe in homeschooling, and I love it….but some days are just plain HARD! Things don’t go at all as planned, the kids are extra uncooperative, and everything just seems to be going wrong. It can get frustrating and make those thoughts of quitting enter your mind.
What should you do when you feel like quitting?
1. Go back to your reasons for homeschooling
If it’s for academics alone, you may not last long. However, if you are doing it because you feel God has called you to, THEN you will be motivated to keep on when you want to throw in the towel.
2. Re-evaluate relationships
*How is your relationship with the Lord?
Often we get so busy with our homeschooling that we neglect spending time with God. Soon we are discouraged and weary from trying to do it in our own strength. Every thing we do in our homes must rest on the foundation of our relationship with God.
*How is your relationship with your spouse?
You need to have a oneness of spirit with your spouse and share the same goals in your parenting. If that relationship is good, you will have the support for those hard days.
*How is your relationship with your kids?
As homeschooling moms, we are with our kids 24 hours a day. We need to have a heart for them and enjoy being with them. Don’t let academic challenges hurt that relationship with your child! One of the most important things we can do as parents is win the hearts of our children!
3. Remember your goals
Before you start each homeschool year you should review your list of goals. Add to it or change it as the years go by. When you face discouraging days, pull the list of goals out to be sure you are focusing on what will help you reach those goals. Often we let the academics distract us from the more important goals, such as pointing our children to Christ daily.
God’s Word tell us clearly what our goals should be in II Peter 1:8 where it says to add to our faith, virtue (character), and to character, knowledge. Give your kids a heart for God’s Word and teach them godly character, then work on the academics. God will bless the remaining time for academics when you make His Word and godly character the first part of your day.
©Deposit Photos by @ maxmitzu
A verse that has always encouraged me when I just felt like I couldn’t do it anymore is the verse in I Thesalonians 5:24:
Faithful is he who calleth you, who also will do it.
God doesn’t ask us to do this on our own! However, many times that is what we are trying to do and that’s the very thing that leads us to discouragement. Depend on God, and remember that He is going to be faithful to give you wisdom and strength for the homeschooling journey He has called you to!
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