After leaving behind over a decade of work as a public health professional, I told myself, “Be weary of optimizing your life.” And now, “Be weary of optimizing your kids’ lives.”
I spent so much time finding the right diet, perfecting my morning routine, overthinking emails, rushing from one sensory overwhelming experience to another, blowing money on online shopping, searching for a balance that would never come without time, space, rest, or reflection. Slowing Down. Doing Less.
I am constantly grateful for the fact that my kids can wake up naturally, eat meals with family, play outside for 2-3 hours a day, and have so much unstructured time that they sometimes get BORED.
As we approach Thanksgiving, we have put up our traditional gratitude tree where the kids write what they’re grateful for on a leaf and add it to the branches. This year I am most thankful for homeschool which has allowed us to have this relaxed, dis-optimized rhythm.
Do I worry we’re not getting enough done? Heck, yeah I do. But I worry equally that my kids will grow up being told what to do their whole lives only to be thrust into the world without their own internal meters, their own compass guiding them through life.
My goal these next couple months is to put on the brakes and let our homeschool routine ebb naturally, peeling away extracurriculars and more games than worksheets. I trust we’ll be ready to ramp back up in January well-rested and with plenty of ideas.
Light On Homeschool 