Shoved to Them
It seems as if we were all stuck in a bad case of the Februarys just last week. Then suddenly one day it’s April and the mood in the house just changes. Last month’s battle to get school work done has been replaced by some serious page counting as my children calculate and then re-calculate just how much longer it will be until they’re done for the school year. It takes me by surprise every year, this attitude shift. One day I’m ready to quit and the next day I’m just hoping to keep up.
It’s funny to me how different the children’s attitudes are once that finish line creeps into view. My daughters spot it and race through their work at a break neck speed. They know that the end of the books means summer vacation and they can’t wait to get there. My sons, on the other hand, see that the end is near and slow down to a painful crawl. They have plenty of time to finish their lessons between now and June, so why rush?
No matter how they react, excited or relaxed, it’s April that makes the end of the school year not mean the end of homeschooling for us. If we ended in February, the local schools might look really tempting. Instead, we get to skate through the happy attitudes of April and I remember just how pleasant homeschooling really can be. The promise of these weeks is what pulls me through the winter doldrums. The memory of them will carry me through the bitter end burnout of May.
We all have these periods in our homeschooling year, whether it’s April for you or not, when it seems to be easier and the reality very nearly matches the picture you daydream it will be. These days are a gift. They are the gas in our tanks and the rest stop we need to keep going. Take advantage of the great attitudes and the beautiful weather and coast for a bit. Let the children keep working at a sure and steady place, and enjoy the calm of it. May is coming with its end of the year assessments and paperwork, but it’s not here today. Relax. The end is coming. It’s just around the bend.
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