Dear Mom,

Though I do not know how every new homeschooling mom feels as she begins the journey into the Catholic homeschooling lifestyle I think that I can say with a certain degree of certainty that most of us have felt the way you are feeling now. I appreciate your humility and your taking the time to share your journey with this forum.

Homeschooling impacts our life on many different levels. I am going to assume by the ages of your children that they have been in a traditional school environment before you made the choice to begin educating them through the resources that you are using within your home. Remember that anytime we begin a new endeavor there is certainly going to be an amount of time necessary to adjust to the new setting. You are still in the very early stages of homeschooling and as such there is much that needs to be tweaked in order to get into a workable routine that suits both you and the children. In the same respect your children, especially the ones who have been in a public school environment, must adjust to this different approach. The children who did not attend school, younger siblings, need time to adjust to having their older siblings home all day. Remember that in the mind of these younger children, when big brothers and sisters are home that normally meant it was time for play.

Many times we as moms forget that homeschooling is literally a full time job in every sense of the word. Imagine for a moment that you took on the task of tutoring another person's child. This would be a commitment and would require dedication and most definitely a certain block of your time. In the beginning we sometimes operate under the illusion that homeschooling is something that we can do 'around ' our housework, however the opposite is closer to the truth. Housework is something we try to fit in around homeschooling as homeschooling is a higher priority. There are seasons in the homeschool vocation when I have felt that I will never get my kitchen and my laundry room cleaned up at the same time not to mention the living room and the bedrooms. It can be very difficult to see this clutter day in and day out and not feel a portion of guilt. However we must retool our way of thinking. If there is a spotless house there may be something that went lacking in the homeschool. In other words keep upper most in your mind that homeschooling is the priority. If we honor this priority as the calling from the Lord that it is  then the Lord will honor our desire to do His will.

My dear pediatrician of many years told me once that it was only the good moms that were reading the books. What she was trying to tell me was that those parents who are striving to do the best for their children probably never stop wondering if they are doing the right things for their children. They are  always going to be striving to do better and to better understand the calling of parenting. They are always exploring , reading, questioning, and seeking to answer the questions they have about parenting. In large part this is the very reason that we advance in our knowledge of any process. The quest to do better and the desire to be within the Lord's will go hand in hand. Jesus honors our docility of spirit that seeks to learn more. A docile spirit is a teachable spirit. You can not teach someone who does not have a heart that is open to the process of learning. Learning begins with a question. "How can I better approach this subject so that my child will comprehend the material?", "Can we develop a better schedule that allows for more time to do the necessary chores?", "I wonder if I need a tutor for this particular subject?" are just some of the questions that you may ask yourself. Keep asking the questions but above all keep praying for the Lord's guidance.

I believe with all my heart that if the Lord calls us into a task then He will qualify us to do the work He has called us to do. If we remain close to the Lord through prayer and reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist then our spirits will be docile and ready for the Lord's instructions.

Above all do not let the Tempter convince you that you are not worthy of the Lord's help, notice, guidance or direction. Not only are you worthy but it is the Lord's greatest desire to be a part of every part of your life especially when you call upon His unfailing help.

Again thank you for your question. Keep me in prayer as I do you on the 4th Glorious Mystery. Let us pray together a Hail Mary for the intentions of all new homeschooling families as they embark on this wonderful journey. Amen

Sending out a prayer,

Rita Munn