4 Reasons to Cultivate Mother Culture in Your Homeschool
Do you ever feel lonely as a homeschool mom? Perhaps you keep your schedule overflowing with appointments and tasks that you don’t have time to think about friendships. Dear Friend, I relate to this struggle so well. Cultivating mother culture can feel stressful when you’re worn out.
Sometimes it’s easier to pour ourselves into the daily grind rather than pour our hearts to a friend. However, cultivating mother culture in your homeschool shows your children the importance of having a loving community that points you to Christ.
4 Reasons to Cultivate Mother Culture in Your Homeschool
Mother culture is something that is new to me in my homeschool atmosphere. During my first year of homeschooling, I was so very lonely. Beautifully staged social media photos rarely reveal the hidden messes and aches of heart and home. While early homeschool photos focused on art study and baking projects, the chaos of my heart remained hidden from the world.
Perhaps you’ve felt this way too. Appointments, book reports, and math assignments take priority over cups of tea and soulful reading with dear friends. Right? I once thought this was true. But the more I pushed the lessons and avoided the deep struggles of homeschool life, the more unrest plagued my soul.
Keeps Momentum Flowing
Do you ever desperately want to stop homeschooling? I know there was for me. Stressful seasons of life can seek to steal your joy and urge you to quit this very important work. Having fellow homeschool moms to come alongside you and share in your journey is so very encouraging.
It’s encouraging to remember that you are not the only one who is dealing with difficult seasons. There is always another mom that may have walked the same struggles before you and will help guide you through them.
Holds You Accountable
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17 (ESV)
It’s never easy to admit that you need help. Whether you’re struggling with planning lessons or keeping up with housework, homeschool life is challenging. Avoiding emotional and spiritual struggles is often easier when there are “other important things” that need tending.
Having accountability to pursue Scripture reading and restful moments helps refine us and shape us into better mothers and teachers. As we gather and talk with fellow moms, we’re reminded of the importance of prioritizing faithfulness in our calling.
Helps Prevent Burnout
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
It’s no secret that homeschool moms experience frequent burnout, especially at this time of year. Feeling burnout is a sign that our bodies and souls need rest. This rest doesn’t just come from a homeschool break but from cultivating a culture of restful learning.
This restful learning doesn’t mean we put on academic breaks. Perhaps it looks like gathering with fellow moms and children at a park and learning about nature together. Sometimes it means gentle activities for your children while you have a few moments of conversation with another mom. Simply acknowledging your struggles and pressing into a community of fellow mothers propels you deeper into your calling and encourages you to hold fast in all seasons.
Nourishes Your Soul
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)
Do you have moments when your soul feels dry? I think every mom has moments of discouragement and unrest. Daily filling up on God’s Word and feasting on His promises nourishes our souls and prevents unrest that can creep into our homeschool. Spending time with fellow moms that urge on good work provides deep nourishment to our souls. After spending sweet time together, we feel refreshed and renewed, filled with good medicine for our dried souls.
Tips On Cultivating Mother Culture
So, how do we practically cultivate this culture of sweet friendships that nourish our souls and keep momentum in our homeschools? Practically speaking, it looks different in every home for every mother.
Each family has unique needs, accompanied by different seasons of life. Mother culture may even look differently in each season. However, there are a few simple ways to start cultivating a sweet circle of mother culture regardless of your season.
Begin Now
Don’t wait for the “perfect time” to invite fellow moms into your life. There is no perfect season for friendships. Invite them into the messy and mundane moments of your days. Christ can accomplish beauty in the midst of any mess.
Start Small
Time together doesn’t have to look quiet and perfect. Consider meeting with one-two mothers and have them bring their children too. Talk and get to know one another over simple snacks and drinks. Maybe inviting those mothers into your home is exactly what they need to keep pursuing their calling too.
Remember, cultivating anything takes time and rarely looks perfect. Homeschooling our children and pointing them to Christ takes work. Taking the time to cultivate encouraging culture among fellow mothers spurs us toward good works and presses us further into faithfulness in our calling.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
Danielle is a former classroom teacher turned “work-from-home” and homeschooling mother of two. She now spends her days teaching her children, reading numerous books, encouraging fellow homeschool moms, and sharing her gifts with others. She blogs about renewing motherhood and homeschooling at DanielleHope.com.
