November 17, 2003

Cut Yourself Some Slack!

Bad days are inevitable. Every now and then you'll wake up feeling physically ill or emotionally worn out. Or your kids will be over-tired from the previous day's activities, or a late night, or an illness. All that is normal.

Take today at our school, for instance. I woke up with a sinus headache and Zach, our sixth-grader, has a nasty cold. I could've forced myself to buckle-down and accomplish the "to do" list for today. And I could've insisted that Zach do the same. Or, I could say, "You know what? We've done a great job of staying on schedule this entire semester, (we're even a little ahead of schedule thanks to our road trip), and we're going to take today off." And that's just what I did!

Instead of pushing the envelope and making everyone more miserable, I saw past the checklist and saw our need. And that was the best thing for us today.

Every now and then it's okay to cut yourself (and your kids) some slack. It's not only okay, it's good!

Addendum: Actually, we did manage to get some basics done after all--journal entries, spelling words, math, and cursive. So even though we didn't take the whole day off, we were able to check a few things off our list without over-taxing ourselves. One of the most significant keys to home schooling is flexibility! Do what works for your family... Your kids will get the education they need and everyone will be happier about it!