We barely have extra-curricular activities anymore. We used to be so overscheduled that we would rarely spend a day at home enjoying our lives. I've got it down to School-Age Story Time at the library (geared towards older homeschoolers) and sewing lessons with my sister, and Friday park playdates in the summer. That's three days committed. But we still have too many interruptions on the other four days that we should be spending at home learning in a quiet environment.
The girls are getting really frustrated with having our lives revolving around everyone else and our necessary commitments outside of the house. We still need to go to the doctor, dentist and orthodontist when needed, the store for food, helping out my elderly parents, visiting with friends...and every week there are several things added that are completely unexpected and can't be avoided. Or so I thought.
So why are we so overbooked? I think part of it is because of when those commitments occur. All of these things happen right smack in the middle of the day. 11:00. Because we homeschool, we are given middle-of-the-day appointments that no one else wants. I think that if we change what we can to be first thing in the morning or last thing in the day, then we'll be better off.
I also think that once people find out that you homeschool that you should be available at the last minute. They don't respect your time as much as someone who works a job or has children in school. They think that we should just be ready to babysit at the last minute or take all the appointment times that no one else wants.
A homeschooler's schedule is a double edged sword. We can do what we want when we want, but it also means that we can easily become available whenever anyone else wants. I'm going to start saying NO. We deserve better.
We love visiting with our friends and helping my parents, so we aren't going to give that up. We have to go to the dentist, orthodontist and doctor when needed, so we can't give those up. I will be a lot pickier about what appointment times people try to give so it doesn't screw up our whole day, and I can ask for better days or more advance warning on other matters. Time to lovingly put up some boundaries for our own sake and sanity.
1 comment:
Whenever I over commit, I feel like I should be committed. In a way I'm lucky to have an illness that is affected by stress, because when I start feeling short of breath all the time I know I'm doing too much.
I used to have my kids in so many activities we were never home. We still have weeks like yours, full of unexpected (and expected) interruptions. But for the sake of being a healthy mom, I've started setting more limits. I hope your busy period slows downs soon too. FYI, if you have a hard time saying no, start with "I'll have to check my calendar and get back to you." Because homeschoolers have things to do too, even when they are home.
Peace and Laughter,
Cristina
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