Baby Garin, born September 23
I have been homeschooling for 8 years. During that time, I have homeschooled with 5 different newborns in tow. Each experience has been as different as the personalities of these little people. Some I have felt like Super Homeschool Mom, sometimes I have felt like Super Crummy Homeschool Mom.
Yet, one thing has remained constant…I’ve never thrown in the towel. The reason for this is that I know this is a season; albeit a frequently repeated season, it is still just a season. Nonetheless, it is a season that does require a few adjustments.
Recently, I wrote a post on my blog about homeschooling when you are exhausted. So much of what we face in that newborn stage is due to utter exhaustion. In addition to this, we also tend to find ourselves incapacitated quite often. We are either one armed or we are sitting in a chair nursing or we are just trying to hear over the roar of all that is going on. None of these things are ideal situations, but let’s get one thing straight…
Homeschooling is rarely done in ideal situations.
Do any of us, newborn or not, have an ideal homeschool situation? I doubt it. So, if we throw out the unattainable expectations, we are light years ahead of the game!
Next, take a quick look at your day. When is baby most likely to nap? When is baby happiest? School during those times. Who cares if that isn’t at 9 am sharp? Don’t frustrate yourself and your children by trying to school when the household is at its craziest.
Utilize your “helpers.” This may be a sling or wrap you can put baby in while you teach or an older child who can take the time out to cuddle the baby, or a bouncy seat or swing near the schooling area. Sometimes we really do need two hands and it is okay to get “help.”
Garin is now over two months old and I am seeing patterns in his day and less fussiness than the first month of his life held. There are times when I have to change gears because the baby needs me, but by doing the things mentioned above, I’ve decreased the frustration level considerably.
And never forget, the newborn stage is so very fleeting. You will be schooling this precious little bundle before you know it!
Amy can be found writing at Raising Arrows.
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You are so right that there is no “ideal homeschool situation”. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. I used to consider it a good day if every thing went according to my plan. If I “got everything done”. Now I am working on choosing to make each day a good day, even when it’s clearly not. It’s all about our attitudes, our service to the Lord. We are working for the Lord, not men, and when we keep that in mind, all of the chaos and stress seems less–we can choose to find joy in our circumstances.
Yes. You can school at any time of day. If 8:00 AM does not work for your family, then school at a time that does work, and do not feel guilty about it!
Yes. Newborns grow up way too fast. Enjoy the time. Kiss them, hold them, rock them.
Now, I have to get to work! This house is not going to clean itself! :)
Thank you for this encouraging post.
Flexibility is key. Learning can be anytime because home school is not the same a public school where hours have to be set.
Besides I think you are teaching something more important anyway, how to be a parent. This is an incredibly important lesson, probably the most important lesson we can teach them.
You are modeling patience, love, kindness, empathy, and a many other important human characteristics that our children will learn from our modeling these behaviors.
I have often felt that learning can and does take place all the time, not just at set school hours. And our children’s education must include humanistic things in addition to academic things, why would we want to separate them?
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