Mom, Homeschooling
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Homeschool mom burnout is real.
We get tired and weary with all that we do, because homeschooling isn’t easy. We lack motivation and inspiration. We can even react with anger or harsh words towards those we love, only to feel regret later on.
And then there’s the questions that start to come up… can I really teach my children? Will I fail them?
There’s so much weight and responsibility in educating our children. We fear that we’re missing something and that our kids won’t “turn out”.
- Will they be socialized?
- Have friends?
- Will they want to learn and remember what they’ve learned?
Ultimately, we start to wonder if our kids will look homeschooled? What does that even mean?!
We have so much that we’re thinking about, that it’s not even about exerting physical energy; instead it’s the mental and emotional capacity that starts to wear thin.
All of these thoughts run rampant and they can especially come when we’re starting to feel tired, worn, weary or even burned out. This is a tactic and tool of the enemy because he wants to get you to doubt what God said to you instead of trusting Him. The enemy wants you to question your ability to homeschool your children so that it becomes more about how you feel and less about God’s direction for you and your children.
If you’ve been feeling a little tired, worn or on the brink of homeschool mom burnout, consider taking a look at what you can do to empower yourself to make changes.
#1: Acknowledge What You’re Feeling
There can be freedom in stopping and acknowledging what you’re feeling. Some of us don’t want to admit that we feel tired, worn and weary, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing what you’re feeling. The important thing is to SEE it. And if you don’t, you’ll start to supress your feelings making things be what they’re not.
There is nothing wrong with how you’re feeling. You’re not the only one feeling the way you do. In fact, most homeschool moms experience being tired, weary or even burned out.
What tends to happen is our thoughts spin like a hampster wheel. We repeat our thoughts over and over again, but the more we do, we cause worry, stress and anxiety.
The opportunity to acknowledge what you’re feeling empowers you to change it.
PLAN OF ACTION: Write in a journal what you’re feeling and how you’re feeling. By writing your thoughts you can see what you feel and this becomes the starting point for making changes.
#2 Cast Your Care On The Lord
The Lord cares for you.
His calling on you to homeschool is not because He thought you could do it alone; it’s because He wanted to work and partner together with you knowing that His grace and strength would be enough. He wants you to seek Holy Spirit concerning the efforts of homeschooling, because with Holy Spirit, we would be drowning in a sea of ideas and opinions not knowing where to go.
We all have areas that we can worry or stress about when it comes to homeschooling because of the ages and stages of our children.
Maybe you’re experiencing (what you feel like) is some learning challenges with your kids. Perhaps it’s behavioral. It could be that the curriculum is just not working. Maybe you worry about your children’s future.
Whatever it is that you’re taking the care for, it roots itself in the spirit of fear where out of that is stress, anxiety, worry and so much more. Often times, we need to remind ourselves that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.
PLAN OF ACTION: In your journal, identify and write the things you keep thinking about over and over again. By doing this, you’re getting off the hamster wheel of thoughts that aren’t moving anywhere but are consuming space in your mind. Take these areas and surrender them to the Lord, casting your care over to Him.
#3 Remind Yourself Of Why You’re Homeschooling
Sometimes we get caught up in what homeschooling should be or look like based on what others are doing. We can forget why God called us to homeschool in the first place.
PLAN OF ACTION: Remind yourself of WHY you’re homeschooling. What did the Lord say to you about it? Was homeschooling supposed to look a certain way or are you putting those self-imposed expectations on you and your family?
#4 Change Up Your Homeschool Routine or Take Time Off
One of the biggest things you can do is to change up your homeschool routine or take time off of homeschooling.
Whether you choose to homeschool mornings only for a length of time, maybe you need a few days off, weeks or months from homeschooling (this is why we don’t homeschool over summer), there is no right or wrong answer.
In order to prevent and overcome homeschool mom burnout, you need to give yourself space and time to heal. It doesn’t do anybody any good when we’re burned out, exhausted and feeling low.
The kids may think they have some extra freedom and time. And this is great! Often times a break for children means that there’s a whole lot more natural learning going on and you’ll be surprised that all while you took time off of your homeschooling schedule, they’ve actually been learning all along.
PLAN OF ACTION: Look at your homeschool routine and change it immediately.
#5 Ask For Help Or Ask For “Me Time”
I’m one of those parents that rarely asks for help or “me time”.
First of all, I somehow think that I should be doing it all. This is certainly my perfectionist and high-achieving personality that I’ve been working through.
BUT, I’ve been learning that homeschool moms should not balance it all and asking for help is good for me and my children. Not only that but when I do have “me time”, I remember why it’s important to my mental and emotional health. I feel like a better me who has more energy and sustain the demands of life again.
PLAN OF ACTION: Ask a friend for help or ask your hubby for a slotted “me time”. During this time, be intentional. You could go to your favorite coffee shop. Enjoy a stroll at a local park. Pick up a new book at a bookstore. Get a manicure or pedicure. Drive to a favorite spot and journal. Go to a thrift store and check out some deals. Whatever it is, make sure it’s YOUR favorite thing to do and that it fills your cup.
#6 Recommit Yourself To The Lord
There’s nothing more reviving than digging into the Word of God with your own eyes. Being present with the Lord and sensing His presence is so overwhelming and supernatural for our soul.
Holy Spirit breathes life back into us when we pray, meditate on God’s Word, and hear from Him.
When we don’t spend time with the Lord like we should, it’s like eating junk food all the time. It can satisfy us for a while, but we’ll experience highs and lows. This cycle repeats itself and it’s so unhealthy if we don’t put anything nourishing in our bodies. The Word of God is our bread and nourishment. Without it, we really can’t live and function like we’re designed to.
PLAN OF ACTION: Spend time with the Lord in the mornings before your kids get up. Ask the Lord to refresh you and revive your heart concerning this homeschooling family lifestyle. Consider a homeschool prayer journal with prompts and space to write.
#7 Take In A Conference, Convention, Book or Support Group
A great way to prevent and overcome homeschool mom burnout is to hear from other homeschool moms. It’s often reassuring just knowing that you’re not alone, and in fact, that they experience the same things you do.
The perfect homeschool family doesn’t exist. We often need the reminder from others that how we feel is okay, and these things will pass.
There are so many amazing conventions that you can attend physically. Or even if attending physically isn’t possible for you, online conferences designed specifically for homeschool moms are also amazing!
I also like to dig into good books to revisit the expectations I set on myself or my kids, and then look at my philosophy of education and what God is saying to me about it.
Lastly, if I’m doing some research where I’m looking for ideas, I’ll ask homeschooling families around me, post a question in a Facebook homeschooling support group or email another homeschooling blogger.
PLAN OF ACTION: Take in a Homeschool convention or online conference. Read a book, ask questions from another homeschool mom, post a question in a homeschool support group on Facebook or email a homeschool blogger.
Often we put too much pressure on ourselves as homeschool moms to do it all. To prevent and overcome homeschool mom burnout, let’s take the time we need to nourish ourselves properly again and care for ourselves.
Feel free to share a time when you experienced homeschool mom burnout or weariness and what you did to overcome it. Let’s encourage one another!
Anchored in Christ,
Melanie
Mom, Reviews
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Having a strong bond with my children while raising them to love God is important. But that alone isn’t enough; it takes work and effort.
There’s no rule book telling us what to do in every situation as parents; we’re often learning right alongside our children as they grow. But, one thing that can help us wade through the waters of parenting potentially avoiding some of the parenting mistakes, is to lean into those who have had already gone through the trenches.
Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away
In the book, Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away, Kathie shares her wisdom in what she’s learned are the common parenting mistakes we make that can lead our kids to rebellion and what we can do to build heart-ties that create a strong relationship with them.
One quote (and question) from Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away that stood out among the first pages, was this:
We need to regularly examine whether we are teaching kids to simply appear and act right or are we teaching them to love God and know Him personally?
I eagerly devoured every page.
Kathie leaves you feeling that you’re never too late at the age and stage your kids are at and that you can begin to carry out her actionable strategies right away.
Here is a short-list of what I loved about Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away:
- Actionable ideas
- Examples
- All the nuggets and takeaways I was left with
- Easy to digest and follow along
- From a Christian perspective, but not preachy
- Lots of quotes and resources
As I finished off Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away, I was left with a huge takeaway where I knew God was speaking to me personally.
Always keep in mind that you don’t want to just manage behavior but monitor the heart.
Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away is a quick read. I sat down one morning hungry to digest it and was left ready for more only because it was so impactful. I couldn’t help but write down the golden nuggets within these pages that struck a chord in me.
I encourage you to look for Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away as well as Kathie’s many others books, including The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart (check out my review here) Grab the bundle price here and save!
Perhaps it’s Kathie’s amazing ability to communicate or just knowing that she’s had 8 children and homeschooled for 31 years that there is so much wisdom to draw from.
About the Author
Kathie is the owner of The Character Corner, wife of Alan for 40 years, and mother to eight children. She is also a veteran homeschooling mom of 31 years. Not only is she passionate about her family, but she also has a passion to encourage and inspire women in their daily lives as moms, wives, and homeschoolers.
Her goal is to be transparent and honest about the struggles and challenges of parenting and homeschooling, as well as the blessings that come from being faithful to that calling. She loves to share insights from her personal experiences over the years of raising and teaching her children. You will find that she gives many practical, encouraging tips you can use in your own home. Find out more about Kathie here.
Kathie is a speaker and author, as well as a blogger at The Character Corner. You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
A sincere thank you to Kathy for blessing me with a copy of this book to review and the opportunity to build strong heart-ties with my children.
Mom, Reviews
*This post contains affiliate links. Please read disclosure policy.*
As parents, we can so easily think that our kids should just listen to us; we’re the parent’s after all. But, that’s not the case to winning your child’s heart as I’ve so quickly come to learn.
The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart
In the book The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart, Kathie writes and shares in such a way that it creates a safe and honest place where you’re not judged. I’m impacted by her ability to communicate what we all feel and experience. And then I feel such a sense of empowerment when she shares a statement like this:
Authority and rules aren’t the answer to successful parenting. Influence is the key, and that influence comes when we have their hearts.
As a parent, who hasn’t heard or used the phrase, “Just do what I say!” and expect our children to be obedient and follow thru because “I said so!”
I’m so guilty of this.
I want my children to know that they can come to me with anything, but do they really feel like they can when phrases like this are used?
As parents, we tend to use our authority to motivate and include threatened consequences, when instead, we could warn of the natural consequences such as pride, immorality and disobedience.
This quote leaped off the page from The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart:
The goal of gaining their hearts is not so we can control them, but rather gain the opportunity to pour into their lives, shape their values, and teach them to love God and His Word.
I love good tips that are easy to implement and create lasting change. Kathie shares loving affirmations and tips that you can start to do practically this moment with your children to begin winning their hearts.
In general, here’s a list of what I loved about The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart:
- Actionable ideas
- Examples
- From a Christian perspective, but not preachy
- All the nuggets and takeaways I was left with
- Easy to digest and follow along
- Lots of quotes and resources
Here’s a lasting thought that Kathie shares in her book The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart:
Rules without relationship breed rebellion.
I read The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart in no time at all. Because you feel like you’re connecting with someone who has so much wisdom to offer and the impact it makes as you dive into these words, you can’t help but keep reading.
If I could give a copy of this book to you, I would! So, instead, feel free to grab The Importance of Winning Your Child’s Heart and take in all that Kathie shares. You can get the e-book here as a bundle price that includes the book Parenting Mistakes That Push Your Child Away. (Check out my review here)
About the Author
Kathie is the owner of The Character Corner, wife of Alan for 40 years, and mother to eight children. She is also a veteran homeschooling mom of 31 years. Not only is she passionate about her family, but she also has a passion to encourage and inspire women in their daily lives as moms, wives, and homeschoolers. Her goal is to be transparent and honest about the struggles and challenges of parenting and homeschooling, as well as the blessings that come from being faithful to that calling. She loves to share insights from her personal experiences over the years of raising and teaching her children. You will find that she gives many practical, encouraging tips you can use in your own home. Find out more about Kathie here.
Kathie is a speaker and author, as well as a blogger at The Character Corner. You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
I’m so appreciative to Kathy for providing me a free copy of this book to review; it has changed my parenting for the better!
