Coming down from the clouds

It all started one day when H was home. He is sometimes off of work in the middle of the week. It started on one of those days. You know one of those days where no one wants to be at the table schooling because the light of our family, the fun one, is home. He stays busy, he joins the schooling, he mows the lawn, he comes back to see how his family is doing. It is not pretty. Frustration, exasperation, mind numbing lecturing blah, blah, blah.... like I said, not pretty.

"There has to be a better way." Six little words that have the potential to rock my world.

I have been homeschooling for 8 years, I have read countless books, and in the last few years I have actually developed an "educational philosophy"! I know why we do what we do, I know what I am hoping to accomplish, I see the vision, I HAVE PLANS, BIG PLANS! (sigh) To my knowledge H has read one book on homeschooling and I don't think he finished it.

"Is it always like this?" more questions, to shake me.

Honestly I had to say it was often this way.

Again, gently, "There has to be a better way."

At this point I get to choose. I can choose to wield the ax of "what have YOU read?", "what is YOUR educational philosophy?", "how long have YOU been doing this?" or I can look at this man who has loved me and these children well and look for the truth in his words. I could have chopped him up into little pieces and asserted my rule of the homeschooling kingdom. I could have but he was right. There has to be a better way.

I am a little undone at this point but this much I know. God has made him the leader of this home and he does not have to have read 20 books on homeschooling to see that what was happening that day was not going to produce good fruit. I on the other hand had been in this "just keep swimming" mentality for so long that I could not see we were drowning. The peace that comes with submitting to one that loves you swept over me. Hope was renewed. Breathe.


So we explored several options, counted the cost and H put his money where his mouth was.. We ended up buying Switched On Schoolhouse. We will try it for a year. Then WE will evaluate. Notice the number of times I said we? We are a we now in homeschooling. Glorious day.

I will let you know how it goes. I have to give up the laptop now, time for school.