Be the Mom

With the onset of summer, many of us are ready for a break from homeschooling. Now, I realize that not everyone takes a full summer vacation due to their choice to school year round, and that’s fine, too. However, there’s one thing I really want to encourage you to do this summer, and that’s “be the mom.”

You’re probably already thinking I’m nuts because you obviously are the mom, but hear me out. Spend time being just the mom. The mom who eats popsicles on the back porch with the kids, or who walks through the park watching little ones chase butterflies. Be the mom who puts on the dreaded bathing suit and gets in the pool instead of sitting in the shade on the sidelines. Take a break from being the “homeschool mom” and just be mom.

Sometimes, I, and probably you, get too wrapped up in making sure we take advantage of every opportunity to learn something new . . . and we forget to just enjoy our time with our kids. I think we can do our kids a great disservice to always feel the need to turn every single thing into a lesson.

Spend the summer reconnecting with your kids.Have fun, make memories, and enjoy one-on-one time with them as well as family time together. While this may not go on their transcripts, you really will be teaching them the value of slowing down, connecting with people and building relationships. Make this a summer of unexpected adventure and freedom to just be a mom hanging out with her kids. I promise they won’t regress, and you will get refreshed along the way!

Joesette Huffman is a dynamic speaker, blogger, wife and homeschooling mother of two. She is is active both in the online homeschooling world and in her local homeschool community and church, as well as a volleyball coach and co-op leader. You can find her weekly at Learning Curve.