Next week (Thursday) marks my entry into full time home-school mom and housewife!!! I can't believe it's here already. I must admit I am rather sad to see the career that I worked so hard to build come to an end however I'm extreamly excited and nervous to be homeschooling my boys. I feel great pressure to be the stereotypical stay at home mom. I feel I'm always going to be compared to Carol Brady, Norma Arnold, and June Cleaver and expected to maintaining a perfectly clean home, never be impatient with the boys, and having diner on the table by 5. While I know this is impossible I feel like so many people look down on moms who stay home with the kids. So many people in this day and age feel that if a woman isn't working the house had better be spotless and she should always be happy and in a great mood because she doens't have to deal with going out into the world to earn a living. The truth is I feel like staying at home is going to be just as hard if not harder than working! I understood what I need to do in my job and I was good at it. I enjoyed working with my peers some of whom became friends. Staying at home with my children while wonderful feels like it's going to be confining me to four walls with no adult conversation.
I plan on joining a home-school group in my area to allow my children and myself to socialize with other families in the area. What are your thoughts about the opinions and responsibilities of stay at home parents? Leave me a comment below.
I am also wanting to purchase a curriculum to keep my children on track and where they should be. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I think you are putting too much emphasis on what others think. It does not matter what they think, what matters is what you want for your boys. It is about them. You can still have adult conversations, sometimes they may be in email form, sometimes they may be in blog form, but they are conversations and I have made some really good friends online that I have never met. The sterotype went out a long time ago, so please just consider your happiness and the happiness of your boys. As for curriculum, I don't buy curriculum I am what is called an eclectic homeschooler and I have done it so far this year completely free. It really depends on the learning style of your children and your teaching style. Good luck and we will all be praying for you. It is difficult at first and I am still learning but it does get better.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteThere is no "typical" stay-at-home mom, nor is there a "typical" homeschooler! Pray and go where God, and your family, lead you, and don't worry about what others say -- you will already have people talking because you choose to homeschool!
You can buy curriculum, if you want, and I have purchased some things, but there is plenty for free. Here are two things that you can ue:
1. Ambleside Online - classic literature-based, history-rich curriculum that is almost entirely online.
2. Handbook of Nature Study (website by Barbara McCoy) - fills in the nature study and science part of your day, and gets you all outside.
Blessings and best wishes to you!
Kim
As a SAHM I can say that we vary greatly. Each of us has individual ideas on parenting and that's okay. There is no one way to do something. While I'm not a fan of homeschooling I do know many mothers who homeschool quite successfully. I wish you the best of luck and encourage you to stick to YOUR choices.
ReplyDeleteI am a stay at home mom and it was hard to adjust to at first, and it is hard to keep up with everything at the house and with the kids, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am not planning on homeschooling my kids at this point (ages 1 and 4), but I do teach them what I think they should know and I don't go by any curriculum. I have heard that the homeschooling communities are great and some are set up so that each SAHM teaches a subject and the kids switch houses each day so they get the variety and social interaction they need. You need to do what you feel is best for you and your kids. Sometimes I get really stressed out when the dishes aren't done and the laundry is piled high, but this affects their day too, so I just try to get stuff done when I can. I am also a full time online college student and watch an additional baby during the week. Good luck
ReplyDeletewww.leahinspired.com
Breathe. Just breathe. Life at home with the kids will take an adjustment period. There are all of those real and unrealistic expectations to deal with. I've been a SAHM for 16 years now, homeschooled for 13 years and can tell you it's a worthwhile adventure. There will be good days and hard days but embrace the journey. Not only does staying at home look different on all of us moms, but quite honestly it'll look different on you: seasons, life events, homeschooling (that takes at LEAST a year to adjust... Just stick with it:)).
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