Do You Ever Have Doubts?

Burn Out, Single Parents, Special Needs

Published with Permission
Written by Lisa Trombley
http://thehappyhomeschoolmom.blogspot.com/2013/03/do-you-ever-have-doubts.html

 

I do.  I know on paper (or the computer) many homeschoolers appear to have it altogether.  Not true.  I second guess myself all of the time.  Am I doing too much? Am I doing enough? Am I spending enough time on each subject?  Am I getting enough one on one time with each child?  How can I teach XYZ effectively if I don’t understand it myself?  Am I leaving gaps in their education?  How can anyone learn in this chaos (when you’ve been interrupted 10 times in an hour!)

I think those are concerns that we have all had at one time or another. There are even harder questions or situations that may come up.  Especially when you have a child who is a struggling learner, or special needs.  The questions you ask yourself may be harder then, especially when there is so much pressure from the outside for you to put him in a school where “professionals” can teach them and they can be taught the “right way.”  The doubts may increase even more when there are specialized therapies that you are only eligible for if you put your child in school.

Being a parent is hard! (more…)

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Bloom Where You Are Planted

Burn Out, Single Parents, Special Needs

Published with Permission
Written by Sheila Campbell
pausingtopraise.wordpress.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

“Watch me!” the words rang out through the bright sunshine as my red-headed fireball of energy sped past on his bike. I stood just inside the door and watched in wonder as his hands gripped the handlebars tightly and his legs pedaled furiously against the brisk wind that left a trail of dust running after the boy and the bike.

West Texas is known for the wind that seems to whistle across the plains on a regular basis. If you live in West Texas, you either love the wind or you spend most of your time indoors and miserable. I love both the beautiful sunsets that paint the big Texas sky with color and the dusty winds that fill the air with dirt particles and catch the light of the sinking sun to give the sky its glorious hues.

Bloom where you are planted. It is an old statement, but there is a lot of truth to the words. I think, though, in order to truly bloom where we are planted we must be thankful for more than just the location that we call home; we must also be grateful for the circumstances and the seasons in which we find ourselves and learn to praise God and see His loving hand in both the good and the difficult things in our lives. (more…)

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Updated: We Are Not Alone

Biography, Informative, Just For Fun, Single Parents

Published with Permission
Written by Katharine Trauger
http://katharinetrauger.wordpress.com/

A short life of almost constant pain . . . educated entirely at home in post-Bourbon France . . . who was this famous home scholar?

 Throughout history, men have lost young wives.

This is the case for you, Étienne, as you realize you must somehow manage to raise your small children after their beloved mother dies.

Your own dad was Treasurer of France and you need no money. During this dangerous time in French history, you do desire the protection you believe comes from holding high office, and you put your law degree to good use. Your short marriage to Antoinette Bégon gives you two daughters and a son. She dies when the youngest is a year old.

From the start, you hire a governess, Louise, whose devotion wins the children’s love. She rears them as her own and imparts womanly grace and skills to your daughters, Gilberte and Jacqueline.

Your poor son, though, suffers almost constant pain from unknown causes. You devote yourself to your children’s education, and quit your positions in the birthplace of your family, moving to Paris and its academia when your son is seven.

Your affinity for sciences and math, proficiency in several languages, and skill in poetry make you an excellent teacher. (more…)

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