back to school… or not

For the past few weeks, it seems like everywhere I go I hear moms saying, “I can’t WAIT to send these KIDS back to SCHOOL!”

By the end of summer, everyone is kind of craving a routine again. We all need some regular interaction with our peers. We need structure. And a place we have to be at a certain time each day.

Even though my kids will be doing school at home, I’m starting, just a little tiny bit to feel that way. Let’s face it. I love summer, and I’m not ready to start our routine. But I can kind of, sort of, maybe a little bit see how it’s going to be good. =]

However, there’s another type of comment that has really got me thinking lately:

“I can’t WAIT to send these KIDS back to SCHOOL… BECAUSE THEY ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!”

I can completely sympathize. The kids are getting on each other’s nerves. They are fighting. They are arguing. They are complaining. Ah, yes… They are whining.

And it would be kind of nice to shove them out the door and send them somewhere else where I don’t have to listen to them for six hours a day.

But for the first time in my kids’ short school career, I am facing the reality that I’m going to have to deal with it! And you know what, I’m kind of glad.

Many of these negative attributes go deeper than just a need for structure. They are heart issues that aren’t going to go away on their own. And certainly a teacher with 14, 24, or 30 other students to deal with on a daily basis, isn’t going to be focusing a lot of her time on reforming the character of MY kid!

I would never, ever have chosen this path of home school for myself and my children. I don’t know if it’s permanent or temporary. I don’t know what the year will look like.

But I’m thankful that I will have this opportunity to spend with them. I’m hoping we can make some progress not only in academic subjects, but in the areas that really matter. The heart. Attitude. And Character.

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