TAKING TIME FOR YOUR INTERESTS IS ALSO A HOMESCHOOL LESSON

• 

TAKING TIME FOR YOUR INTERESTS IS ALSO A HOMESCHOOL LESSON

BY ELSA BARNHILL

Our children often see quite a boring version of ourselves; one pre-occupied with chores and their schoolwork or one that sits in bleachers or sitting rooms just waiting while they have all the fun. Adulthood must seem so unappealing to them sometimes! It can be easy for all parents, even “the fun ones” to fall into routines and leave out time for our enrichment. As home school parents, we understand how to give our children a well-rounded education. We ensure that they are exposed to good books, music lessons, sports and trips to places that interest them. This is wonderful, of course, but what about us? It’s time to look at our own schedule and find time for our own learning and enrichment. In doing so, we will teach our children to look at learning and living in a wonderful way. 

Parents, particularly busy moms, would find a lot of satisfaction in finding a creative pursuit that allows them to learn and grow in ways outside of what we would typically consider “self-care.” Taking time for these types of activities takes on extra importance for those of us homeschooling  our kids since it’s very easy for our only break to be un-refreshing scrolling on our phone. Some more promising activities include knitting, painting, scrapbooking or anything that makes you feel engaged and creatively fulfilled.  This doesn’t have to be a difficult or time-consuming activity. Do you find yourself doodling on the margins of your notebook? Consider finding a sketching class at a rec center or even completing a simple YouTube tutorial.  My daughters and I love making and eating dessert, so we love to find new recipes online and giving them a try.  By seeking out opportunities to learn or develop one of your creative hobbies, you are proving to your child that learning is fun and something that doesn’t end with school books. 

I’ve written before about how much my daughters love playing softball.  Watching them play ball has been really fun for our family but it also inspired my husband to go back to playing baseball himself. He was able to find an adult baseball league that worked for his schedule and he has now been playing for a few seasons. My daughters know my husband loves baseball and that we all take turns supporting each other. They also see how he makes exercise an important and fun part of his life.   Many sports are available for adults and meet on weekends and evenings. Taking advantage of a homeschool families flexible schedule to find a sport you enjoy will do wonders for your life!

Another easy way to add more learning and fun to your life is through reading and podcasts. A lot of my fellow homeschool parents have recommended some amazing podcasts for my kids to listen to while they work on crafts (check out Brains on! If you haven’t found one yet!) I also know most of us have also spent a lot of time finding interesting books to develop our kids love of reading. Don’t stop there! With the amazing variety of books, audio books, and podcasts available these days there is sure to be something new and interesting for you.  Try various genres and ask some like-minded friends for recommendations.  Enriching our own lives with new information sets a good example for our kids and might even help you feel passionate about a new topic. Isn’t that what we hope happens to our kids?

Finally, make sure some field trips or activities are geared to your interests or hobbies.  I know a fellow homeschool mom that loves hiking and finding new trails to explore very early in the morning. Her kids? Not as much! Even so, joining their mom for an occasional sunrise hike is hardly a punishment. It helps push the kids out of their comfort zone and work through discomfort for the sake of someone they love. It also helps them to understand and know their mom better. Unfortunately, it’s easy to skip getting out of the house to enjoy an activity that is only meaningful to you. After all, we tend to fill up our days with field trips and play dates that we arrange for our homeschoolers. Make sure to do it anyway, even if it’s sporadic.

 I am sure we all want our kids to really know us and the things that make us unique. These are only a few of the ways to accomplish this. Take some time to think about your interests and how to pursue them. Isn’t it a good idea to live a rich life, filled with fun and learning so that they will do it too? After all, sometimes more is caught than taught. Let’s influence our kids to live well!