I recently had the opportunity to chat with Lisa Hendey and Danielle Bean on the Faith & Family Podcast. I always look forward to these conversations because I walk away feeling empowered and encouraged. I learn so much from these wise, faithful women. I hope you will, too.
On this particular episode we talked about hobbies and the importance of downtime for moms and for their children. Then we moved on to asking for help and why so many of us moms have such a hard time accepting assistance from others. We also briefly touched upon how what might be helpful to one person – let’s say occasional help with the littles like I’ve recently solicited – might not be the best fit for you.
We ran out of time before I could stress the importance of looking at your own needs and limitations and determining what would help you be the most joyful mom. That’s why I’ve had to ask for help. I was missing out on some of the joy of being a mom. The chaos and exhaustion was leaving me completely depleted. I’d have a good day perhaps (or even a perfect week at the beach), but then I’d be back to feeling overwhelmed.
I haven’t been writing about some of my recent struggles much because I’d rather not focus on the gook and because there are (almost) always rifts of light breaking through darkness. All that said, I’ve had some tough moments in the trenches of motherhood over the past few months.
The beach gave me respite. And, yes, there was grace. There always is. But there was also more sleep on vacation. Upon our return, my dad and I were joking and started singing, “Amazing Sleep. How great thou art.” Forget the grace. Give me a night of uninterrupted sleep when none of the littles cry out or jab me in the ribs (or jab me in utero), and I’ll be one gloriously happy (and gentle) mama.
A month or so ago there was one night where I cried to my own mama that I just wasn’t enjoying motherhood like I once did. I hesitate to make this admission; it feels hopeless or selfish or annoying or something bad to say something so negative about the most sublime vocation of all. Yet, I believe most moms have been there – when our spirits feel crushed and our kids, while we know they are blessings and we love them like mad, feel like burdens that we just don’t feel strong enough (or well-rested enough) to shoulder.
Maybe there are some moms who haven’t ever felt that way – God bless you! However, one of the hallmark symptoms of burnout in my own mothering life is a lack of joy in being a mom.
When mothering stops being fun, something is amiss. When you feel like all you do is serve your family instead of enjoy them, something is amiss.
Sure, being a mom is exhausting, challenging, and requires ample self-donation, but it’s also supposed to bring you joy. It’s not supposed to suck all the happiness out of you. When the joy seems out of reach, you’re probably burnt out or depressed or not carrying His yoke or not following His will – or a combination of all these things. At least this has been my own experience. I probably shouldn’t speak for others. We all have signs and symptoms that suggest something is out of whack spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and/or physically.
I remember another dark night when I was crying to my husband and I questioned why I couldn’t handle things the way others mothers could (or the way I thought they could), and he reassured me that I was not weak. He reminded me of the ages of my children. He reminded me of the demanding nature of his work that meant I was frequently on my own in the parenting trenches. He reminded me of my own temperament. I was not less holy than other moms. I was me with my own life, interior struggles, and children with unique personalities. I needed to give myself a break. I needed to make decisions based on what would help me – not somebody else – to be a more joyful mom. And to always, always remember that what is important is what is good for me, not just what is simply good.
Having college students come in a few times a week to play with the kids while I write or rest or just grocery shop alone has been a real blessing. But I’ve needed to reassess some other things, too. During the podcast, I feel like I kept throwing the word “homeschooling” out there – like I was testing it out for the first time. (“My babysitter was homeschooled,” I threw out there. Um, your point is? Actually, she mentioned her mom was feeling burntout, but she’s been at it for 17 years!!! I can’t imagine that.) Never mind I began researching homeschooling before I was even pregnant when I worked on-staff at a parenting publication. With Lisa and Danielle, I also briefly mentioned that I’d recently been discerning homeschooling and reevaluating if this really was the right calling for my family or just some ideal I wanted to live up to because I felt like it would somehow make me holier or more like Mrs. So-and-So whom I admire greatly and see as the paragon of piety. (I know it’s not all about me; it’s about my family, and I have to stop focusing so much on what I can and can’t do, etc.) Homeschooling is good – very good – for a lot of families, but it may not be so good for other people. The question right of the moment is: Is it good for me, for our family, right now? I’ve been asking that question a lot lately.
When my husband started his residency, Madeline wasn’t even two yet, but I somehow hooked up with a great group of homeschooling moms (a group called Totus Tuus). Gunner that I am, I went ahead and joined their homeschooling co-op, not because Madeline needed immense erudition (or any academics; she was learning through experiences and playing; she still is) but because I needed companionship and mom mentors. I was blessed with these things. I met some amazing women. Because I admired them and saw them as holy and wise and women I wanted to be like when “I grew up,” I started piecing together this formula for sainthood based on their lives. It went something like this: At least half a dozen kids + homeschooling = near-saintliness.
I can write that now and see how limited my formula was. There are plenty of women whom I admire for their kindness and faith and mothering aptitude who don’t homeschool, never did homeschool, and likely never will. Nor do they bring forth enough children to field a baseball team (my awesome mom being one of them). Then there are people who are called to the single life (my godmother being one) who serve others differently than I do. I have a wide range of friends who inspire me by living beautiful, peaceful, and holy lives, but the way they do that varies greatly.
Then there are the miscellany of saints: knights, hermits, nuns, mothers, intellectuals, farmers. That’s what I have to keep reminding myself: That it’s not following some prescribed formula that will guarantee living a grace-filled, joyful, and Godward life. God calls us all to holiness but in different ways. It’s recognizing that God has a unique plan for me and then bending my own will and desire to try to follow it. It’s not doing what others do or don’t. It’s not trying to live up to some ideal I’ve created in my perfectionist psyche. It’s taking a deep breath, praying, facing my own limitations, asking myself (over and over): How can Katie Wicker become the best version of the person God created her to be?
So, yes, I’ve been discerning sending my oldest to school. Actually, discerning isn’t really the right word. That would suggest some balance and a certain level of emotional and spiritual maturity that I seem to be lacking right about now. What I’ve really been doing is agonizing over it. I’ve started biting my nails again. I wake up almost every single night to start weighing the pros and cons. I’ve consulted homeschooling friends and non-homeschooling friends (thank you, Kris, Dorian, Nana, and Julie K.). I’ve met with the principal and office staff of our local parochial school. I’ve visited a Montessori school. I’ve talked and talked and talked to my husband and my parents. I’ve cried buckets of tears, feeling like I’ll amount to a BIG, FAT failure if I quit homeschooling just because I’d made some silly promise to myself to stick with it. (Please note: I do not think anyone else is a failure if they never homeschool or decide to quit homeschooling. I only hold myself to these ridiculous standards. Like so many women, I am by far my own worst critic.)
My dad recently told me jumping into cold water is never easy because it’s going to be jarring. It’s going to take awhile to get used to it. “No matter what decicion you make,” he said, “It may not feel great or ‘right’ at first.”
But he and a good friend also reminded me I’m not making some permanent, lifelong decision. We can decide something for today and then prayerfully change our minds tomorrow.
It’s just that I want to be comfortable. I want my kids to be comfortable. I don’t want any of us to feel any aftershocks or to feel like we should have never jumped into the water in the first place.
But I no longer want to feel like I’m always treading water either, just barely keeping my head above the surface.
What I do want is the perfect education for my child – one that’s flexible, brimming with faith, enlivens her natural curiosity, gives her time to run and be wild as is her nature but also plenty of time to be with her sisters and her mommy and daddy. Can someone please start a Catholic Montessori school in my area? Oh, that would be an absolute dream come true. So long as we’re talking wish lists, I also want a toddler who starts napping again like she used to for two blissful hours each day and a preschooler who doesn’t fall apart in the afternoon and use her hands to hit rather than her words to speak. I want my oldest to be happy, to thrive. I want my whole family to thrive – myself notwithstanding.
How do I make that happen? I don’t. Not on my own, anyway. It’s not all on me or up to me. Still, there are decisions I need to make along with my husband.
Madeline recently attended an all-day camp, and my gregarious girl did thrive off all the perpetual activity and interaction with others. I missed her tremendously, but I admit I also enjoyed the slower pace I kept with my little ones. So that got me seriously thinking about school. (I’d considered it before, but I’d always quickly pushed it aside and been fairly content with our decision to homeschool.) I don’t like busy work, but this busy bee of mine might be happy with busy work. She’s certainly happy keeping busy. All. Of. The. Time.
People who know my big girl well said she’d love the school setting. I know they’re probably right. But what about our family as a whole? What is best for us? How will I be able to squeeze any school in with a 2-year-old, 4-year-old, 6-year-old, and newborn? Am I trying to do too much? At the start of our first year of homeschooling, the answer was definitely a yes. I look back at the ridiculous grid I created with every block of time mapped out. There would be weekly tea parties, daily narrations a la Charlotte Mason, picture study, afternoons listening to classical music, poetry Fridays, arts and craft time, weekly chunks set aside to immerse ourselves in nature. Have we done some of these things? Oh yes! But on a weekly basis? Ha. No way.
We’ve had some really good days lately. Very, very good days, in fact. Yet, I haven’t been worried about schooling at all. We’re taking a break. So it’s easy to blame homeschooling for my feelings of being overwhelmed since I’ve felt the joy of motherhood again not having to have that stupid grid taunt me about everything I didn’t accomplish.
Gosh, it feels good to just enjoy your kids and to not have any shred of anxiety about if they’re learning enough. Life is learning. I’ve always believed that, but I try to cram too much into life too often. There’s often no room for learning, just rushing. Or at least that’s the way I sometimes feel lately.
I’m dreaming of meeting our newest baby. He/she kicks. I feel a thud inside that’s getting stronger by the day, and I know it won’t be long. My midwife says given my history of premature dilation, I’ll likely have this baby in nine or ten weeks. I smile. My hand drifts to my belly. Then I panic. I’m barely treading water now, remember. How in the world am I going to take care of all these littles and educate my oldest while still squeezing in some ABC time for my preschooler? I start to consider unschooling – how beautiful, how simple! But Type Aers like me don’t know how to unschool. We don’t know how to UN-anything.
My goal for this pregnancy has been to avoid the bedrest sentence I had to answer to my previous two pregnancies; yet, sometimes I find myself pining for time spent in the horizontal position (providing the baby would still come out not too early and be perfectly healthy). Of course, I know if I am put on bedrest, I’ll be kicking myself for ever thinking that I wanted to to be on my side all daylong watching others manage my home and feeling helpless when my little ones needed their mama.
Where am I at now? After many prayers and tears and nail-biting and long talks with my amazing, supportive husband, we’ve decided to homeschool for at least one more year but to really, really take a good, long hard look at the parochial school in our area and if it might be a positive possibility for our family down the road as well as the explore and weigh all of our options. And as my husband keeps reminding me: Aren’t we so lucky to have options? I admit, too, that hearing my oldest break into sobs at the thought of having to leave the newborn baby (Madeline could hold babies all daylong; this is one activity that does seem to keep her still) did have a bit of influence on our decision.
So I’ve dipped my toe into the water. It is cold. It’s dark. I don’t know what’s beneath the surface. I’m scared. Terrified, really. I don’t know how a fourth baby is going to affect our homeschooling rhythm. I’ve never liked schedules; I’ve always preferred to have a rhythm to our day. But it’s felt out of whack lately, and we don’t even have a little, wakeful newborn around here yet.
Still, I feel better now that a decision has been made. My nails are growing a tad longer again.
As for parenting joy, I’m happy a lot of the times. I do notice all the little yet remarkable things that make mothering such a gift. I do love writing journal entries to my girls where I pause and tell them about the details of our days, what I notice about them at that moment in their growing and changing life. However, I’m not going to pretend that I don’t feel overwhelmed a lot, too. Is it just me? I’m tempted to think so, but that’s foolish. Most moms are overwhelmed at certain points of their lives. Maybe we have different stressors and triggers, but this all-consuming mothering gig brings us to our knees, doesn’t it? We can’t do it alone. I have to stop trying so hard to just that.
I also have to make a daily downtime a requirement. My 2-year-old has stopped napping, but I’m making daily quiet time for all of us – even Hopping Cricket Madeline – non-negotiable. (This was something I’d once been very strict about, but it had fallen by the wayside since we moved last summer.) So much of my restlessness is rooted in my stubborn refusal to rest. I’m grateful for the amazing summer babysitter we have right now who paints outside with my kids and sprays them off with the hose and gives them messy moments that their hot and tired and very pregnant mama just can’t say yes to right now. I’m grateful for any rest I can get. (But I don’t really want to be on bedrest. Not that it’s my choice.)
I’m also reminding myself that my worth and measure as a mom, a Catholic, a wife, and simply human being is not dependent on any particular decision I make for my children. As far as homeschooling is concerned, I’m taking it year by year, child by child. That’s always been my motto. And right now I’m focusing on my daily plan, my daily graces, and my daily trust. Give us this day our daily bread. No marathon running for me at this season of my life (metaphorically or not). Baby steps. Small steps walked at my own pace with my own gait. Slow and steady. Grab the grace, a friend recently tweeted to me. Grabbing fistfuls of it now.
Thanks for listening. :-)
Every single spring, I seriously consider sending my children to school. The push to finish up and the resistance from spring feveritis afflicted students is often overwhelming. Some families school year-round, but I don’t know how. I need a full two months off in the summer to relax and be “just” a mom…instead of a teacher too. While schooling may be an option for you at some point, keep in mind this natural cycle. Sometimes all we really need is a big break. I actually planned last year with a 4 weeks on, 1 week off routine which worked well for the first third of the year before we got a bit behind and had to stop.
Michelle Reitemeyer recently posted…Jennys Special Day
i too feel your struggle with trying to be the “perfect, holiest mom out there”. i have siblings and friends who homeschool and there is always that pressure to have many kids and homeschool all of them. my husband is going to be in his last year of residency next year, and i have decided to homeschool our oldest daughter for kindergarten for various reasons. my husband has made the decision beyond that easier on me – he’s wants to send them to catholic school – and so i don’t have your decision to make. but i sympathize…i sometimes feel that guilt that i will not be part of the homeschooling pact. you’re a great mom either way and God calls us all to go down different paths that lead to the same place.
Thank you for such an honest post. I feel an honest comment is definitely deserved and so I’ll say this: the feelings of peace and joy I get during my days are rarely, if ever, directly a result of mothering or being a mother. I feel joy when I realize I’m fulfilling what I know is the Lord’s calling for me *despite* the fact that I am constantly struggling, the house is a mess, I get very little sleep, and I cannot recall the last time I was without at least one of my four children in my care. We have never hired a babysitter (in the 10 years we’ve been parents) and until July 4th, my husband will not have a single full day off. So I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND where you’re coming from with this post. I guess what I’m saying is that our present situation prohibits me from defining my success and peace by whether or not mothering itself is enjoyable. And because I can’t change our situation at the moment, I realized I had to change my viewpoint. My definition. My definition of joy and happiness had to become something like “not totally melting down every second of the day while making sure my children survive to see their teen years, loving Jesus and being good Christian Catholics.” Anything more or beyond or better than that, for now, is just gravy.
So for now: my children are alive —> There is Jesus in the house —> I am happy . If I say it enough, prayerfully, it will fill my heart. I just know it! ;)
Again, thank you for the post. Your husband is right. You are NOT the only one who feels like she is drowning!
Dwija @ HouseUnseen recently posted…Making your own dog food
Kate, I have been going through similar struggles. After four years of homeschooling I have decided to send my daughter to school next year. It was difficult but I just could not devote myself to her education the way I needed when I also have writing jobs which are necessary for income. It was all just too much. You can’t stretch yourself thin or there will be nothing left to give to your family.
elena maria vidal recently posted…Royal Commission
I am so glad Elizabeth linked this. I you just crawled inside my brain and had a conversation with myself but said the things I should have said; I am so grateful. I’ve just hit this plateau of overwhelmed-ness that has been here since before #6 was born. I’ve had seasons of it, of course, and come back from burn out better and stronger. But this time? I’ve been so stuck. I feel like I’ve alienated a few friends in this round of stuck-ness, too, which has made the confusion worse…just by sheer tiredness and not thinking about what I am saying and speaking.
This whole post just resonated so much with me. Thank you for being honest. I needed to hear what you had to say to yourself. :)
We moms tend to look at what we didn’t get done. My oldest is graduating from home schooling and is an amazing smart girl. I didn’t turn her into an idiot! Amazing since starting homeschooling and until high school we never had a full week of school past the first two. We never finished a textbook, and we probably unschooled more than schooled. I started homeschooling with two little girls; four siblings, three miscarriages, one week long hospital stay with months of rehab, and two moves came during those schooling years. People ask me how I do it. I don’t. God’s grace has covered me. He makes be look a lot better than I am. My kids make me look a lot better than I am. I have spent a good portion of the last twelve years exhausted and burnt out. Most of my burnout is because I was trying to be perfect. It is amazing how many “it has to be this way” I have in my life that weighs me down. I am finally trying to get rid of them. Now that I have one, that loves the Lord and has such a beautiful soul, that is about to go out into the world, I am humbled. I thank God for his generosity and will keep my hand to the tiller but perhaps trusting God more and not myself so much.
Peace sister in Christ!
Kate,
Tonight I plan to listen to the podcast after I put my kids to bed. That’s the plan. I hate to break this to you but my kids are nearly 10, 7, 7, and nearly 6, and we have had a string of sleepless nights over the last few weeks due to various and sundry issues. I used to think that only babies kept their mamas up at night. ;) So I am right there with you on the “it’s hard to enjoy motherhood when you are tired” thing.
About schooling, this year, we’ve done something radical. We have four kids and they are going to be in three different schooling situations. We realized that we needed to look at each individual child and make the education choice best for them. So for the oldest, it’s off to Catholic school for him for 4th grade after doing public school. The second oldest is going to do the “homeschool” option at his private, Christian, montessori school, so he’ll be there two days per week, and home with me three days per week. The younger two will remain in the public school for at least this year. It works for them. What Paul and I have realized is, like you, we have to do what’s best for each child and what’s best for our family. If that means three different schools, then so be it. Others think we are crazy, but I feel peace knowing that we’ve taken each child’s needs both educationally and emotionally into consideration.
I’m so glad you have found peace in your decision and you are just enjoying your children!
Kimberlie recently posted…Needed- A Miracle for Teresa x-posted from the Dumpling House
Kate, I have thought of homeschooling for 2 years now and am finally taking the plunge. My oldest is 9, then 7, then 4, and a 5-month old. I’m looking forward to it TREMENDOUSLY. I know it’s tempting to think that it’s going to be easier with one child gone all day, but in my experience, it’s harder in some ways. My kids are always going in different directions and they come home from school and it’s “drill sergeant mom” taking over. I feel like I don’t get to enjoy my kids, only get them from point A to point B. I wonder where my parenting starts…. I’m only teaching them to be stressed out and busy, not holy and peaceful. I know homeschooling isn’t going to be the “perfect” answer. There really isn’t one. But I’m hoping that my kids will get along better (they fight terribly the older they have gotten) and I’m hoping I will enjoy them more and my responsibilities as a mom.
I’m so glad you are sticking with it!! Of course you guys have to figure out what works best for you, but I’m telling you, the grass isn’t always greener…. You will *always* worry about whether or not your child is getting the best education. For some, homeschooling is the answer. For others it isn’t. My little one misses her older siblings when they are gone. In fact she cries and it breaks my heart. I don’t want my family to be separated all day long. I want them to value each other as family members and put us before their friends. I could start to see the change in my oldest in that area, and I didn’t like it… AT ALL.
Anyway, just thought I would put my 2 cents in. I will keep your family in my prayers!!
Karen recently posted…Heroes
Glad you’ve come to a decision you can live with this year!! And Dave is so right – you are in a position to make choices and changes when it suits your family best. Can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!
I long to have the time to personally thank and write each and everyone of you has reached out to me via email, this combox, etc., but this quick, more impersonal expression of my gratitude will have to do. Thank you for sharing your own struggles and for encouraging me. Or, thanks for just listening. It was a blessing to see veteran homeschoolers remind me that they’re constantly discerning homeschooling and that they have their doubts, too. It was also a great blessing to have moms who have made other educational choices share their experiences and feelings of incertitude. We’re all in this together, trying to stumble along a path a virtue. Finding my way has been very, very difficult lately, but it does help to know I’m not walking alone. There is God, of course, but there are many, many Simons of Cyrene and Veronicas to help me along as well.
Many blessings – and joy! – to you all.
Kate Wicker recently posted…Hobbies- Help- & Homeschooling Discernment
You are not alone, Kate!!! I’ve been going through a lot of the same stuff that you are writing about. Since finding out about our big move months ago, we’ve been struggling over the homeschooling question, too. It looks like we are taking the plunge! I even went to the IHM conference this weekend and made a few purchases, so I think it’s really happening. I really like your dad’s analogy about jumping in to the water and let me tell you, the shock of the cold has me more that a little bit terrified. But remember, our emotions are not completely our own these days. In the next 2 months, you and I will both have a new blessing to love and cherish! I keep reminding myself about that and it does affect how strong the doubts can be at times. I also keep reminding myself that if it’s not working, we can always change what we are doing. And thank God for supportive husbands! You are already ahead of the game by realizing your limitations and that everyday will not be perfect (even if we still expect it to be). And of course your faith and dependence on God will get you through so much more that you ever thought you could handle! God Bless you, Kate!
Oh Kate, I just want to give you a big hug. My brain is fuzzy right now so I can’t say anything more coherent but know that you are in my prayers.
Melanie B recently posted…Engaged
Thanks so much for this post – I totally needed to read this today. I identified with many parts of this post. Thanks for letting us get a glimpse into these big decisions you are facing. God bless you and your family!
Once again you wrote exactly what I have been thinking :) I also spent the last few weeks grappling with this one, and I also decided to home school again next year. But, like you, we will be visiting all of the open houses and spending the next year really discerning our options. What I’ve come to realize is that our goal is to get our kids to heaven NOT to homeschool. So I’m going to try to be patient and let God show me how HE wants that to happen. You are great!
Kate,
Although I am a single young professional and still (impatiently) waiting to become a wife and mother, it struck me how much I could identify with your struggles of comparing yourself with others. (In your case, homeschooling moms). I, too, have created some ‘formula’ which I subconsiously measure myself up to in my head to see if I am on the right track. Your comments “That it’s not following some prescribed formula that will guarantee living a grace-filled, joyful, and Godward life. God calls us all to holiness but in different ways” really resonated with me.
Recently a friend shared this video with me and it brought me so much encouragement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh_fSNz6NvQ
If you haven’t seen it yet, perhaps it will encourage you too!
God bless, and keep up the great work!
Kate I almost laughed as I read this not because it is funny but because I could have written it myself. I went through this this past winter and spring and we decided to forgo homeschooling and enroll my daughter in K at the local catholic school. Some days I wonder if I am doing the right thing as all my other friends are homeschooling but after lots of prayer and discernment I know it is not for us. Good luck with your decisions and once again we are preggers again together so what do you think girl #4 for both of us?
Ellen-TCMom recently posted…My Baby Clothes Boutique Giveaway ends 6-28
Girl. I simply love you! you are amazing. I’m sorry we keep missing each other in person, but I love I can keep up with you here.
I know you know my story, but the best way I could make homeschooling year 1 doable was sending the 2 year old to preK 3 days a week for 3-4 hours. So much for family togetherness. But, we made most of it all the hours at home. It just helped me find my way with a newborn in the house. But, we did survive the 2 days with all us at home.
This coming year, we are still homeschooling, but I’m giving k12 a try. I will let them send me materials and plans and add my own twists to things. I’m hoping it gives me some relief from worry on how I’m doing! I need some balance too!
The important thing, that I’m sure has been listed, is that we have young children, so they learn what they need all the time. We are putting the pressure on ourselves for this “ideal” when at this age, we forget we ARE enough for them. We can unschool, narrate, dictate, school, schedule, unschedule and living book with our blessings all day long…and they are still soaking it all in. I’m playing catch up in Story of the World with the audio CDs now LOL!!! Goodness…my time could not keep up with the plans in my mind! It is VERY hard for me to not be upset where we ended this year because I feel we should have finished all the books I bought to use. I need to remember that my precious children were learning…are learning…and just bring TOGETHER has been a blessing.
That said, I will take it year by year, child by child (thank you Kris for this quote and perspective). We homeschool for many reasons, one being affording Catholic education is not a doable option for us currently….but if I end up needing a ‘brick and mortar” school, I know we love our local school, and I will always supplement at home and have faith permeate our home.
We bloggers always blog the good, that it makes all of us think we homeschool with unicorns, cherubs, and rainbows. I try to remember to post the biblical floods of homeschooling too…just to keep perspective for me LOL!! But I get inspired by all you do Kate. Thank you for sharing your “rosey” and “woesy” with me. Stay strong, and grab that grace! If we work together, maybe you and I can catch it?
Love you!!!!!
ViolinMama recently posted…While Lovely is Away
thank you for your honesty. After 16 years of homeschooling my 7, I am putting the 5 left at home in Catholic school. I too have felt like a failure, but God has humbled me and is asking me to do this. I have blogged about my change and homeschooling in general being seen as “holier” than other choices.
http://thechurchfanatic.blogspot.com
llmom recently posted…No longer homeschooling
So much for family togetherness. But, like you, we will be visiting all of the open houses and spending the next year really discerning our options. That’s the plan.
Angelique Ruiz recently posted…Cancer Tattoos Tumblr