After publishing a post that shows me being amazingly patient while teaching Isaac to read, I thought it only fitting that I report back with today’s homeschool struggles.
Let me tell you about the hardest thing about homeschooling: It’s that you have to teach YOUR OWN CHILDREN.
The kids that go to Sunday School and listen sweetly for their teacher? All sweetness disappears for Mom. For some reason, they do not feel the need to hold it together emotionally for me. Not to worry, Isaac only lost his mind over these very major requests in the last week:
- “Isaac, I need you to rewrite that lowercase “p” and start it at the dotted line in the middle.”
- “It’s time for school.”
- “What sound does “a” make in this word?”
See? You can completely understand that I was asking unreasonable things of my 6 year old, right? I mean, really, what 1st grade teacher would actually expect any of these crazy things from their students?
Dearest child, if it makes you upset when I correct you, how am I supposed to teach you? I can’t just pretend that 5 + 2 = 3 even if it makes you cry when I tell you you’re wrong. I don’t see that working out well in the long run.
Today when Isaac started crying when I corrected him, I decided I was DONE with the crazy manipulation of mama. I told him it was time for him to go to his room and lie down on his bed and rest until he was ready to not cry when I taught him. He was not happy. Miraculously, I stayed calm and laid out the rules: If being corrected makes you cry, you need more sleep and less toys and less screen time.
He emerged from his room a short while later and I asked him if he was ready to learn without crying. He started crying again. Back to his room I sent him. I have no more patience for the crying.
Today I’m wondering if The Crying Over Little Things is going to kill me.
Tomorrow it will be better, right?