Today you will find me over at Intentional In Life as I share how we intentionally connect throughout our homeschool day! While you are there make sure to visit some of the other posts in the Intentional In Life blog series. There are so many lovely ideas for ways to be more intentional in everything we do each day!
“The days are long, but the years are short” – Gretchen Rubin
If you are a homeschool Mama I feel this applies even more in our journey of Motherhood. We are with our kids all day long, every day, which causes one to assume that we are connecting with our kids all the time.
Quite the opposite is the case, there are so many reasons homeschool parents can get distracted from the primary focus. Instead of cultivating connections it is natural to focus on productivity. Or if you get burned out, just tuning out all together, ignoring the heavy responsibility ahead. Or getting hyper focused on raising the absolute smartest kids, only to lose their hearts and character in the process.
But if those distractions so easily become our main focus, why are we even Homeschooling? I might speak for myself here but I didn’t decide to Homeschool to raise smartest kids on our block. If that happens, of course I’ll be thrilled! However I think of that as more of a perk, not a necessity.
Primarily I want to cultivate a family environment that includes working, playing, reading, eating and learning together. One of the reasons I homeschool is simply because I want to hang out with my kids every day, even when they drive me crazy. Family relationships will never be perfect but I believe that Homeschool families have a rare opportunity to raise families who have strong connections between the parents and their kids.
If we aren’t intentional in cultivating these connections, we are missing out on this opportunity so great, I believe it can make or break the most well-intentioned homeschool families.
Growing up in a huge homeschool community gave me the chance to witness many of these families finale to their homeschool years. The families who had great success were not just checking boxes, that IS important too, they were intentionally creating an atmosphere that brought connection in their relationships with one another.
With so many demands between teaching, feeding, cleaning & driving our kids between activities; the pull towards productivity is strong and away from our children, stronger. I am huge on education and want my kids to be equipped to reach the fullest potential and plan that God has for them! However without an emotional foundation that is solid, even the most educated person will struggle through life.
How do you intentionally create connections throughout your homeschool day?
Head on over to Intentional In Life for the Intentional In Life blog series to find out how I make those connections!