My October Homeschool Burnout Cure

Happy October, mamas! Anne might be well-known for saying, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!" But even if the weather might be more lovely outside, often our inside feelings don't match her famous quote...

Did you know that October is a typical burnout month for homeschooling moms? February is more likely to provoke serious homeschooling burnout, but this month also seems to bring on the grumpies.

The novelty and enthusiasm of a new school year has mostly worn off, and the joy and distraction of the holiday season has not yet begun. We are here in the middle, where our homeschooling routines and outside activities have reached full-time status, often causing us to lose motivation and question our dedication to homeschooling.

If you're feeling this way, you're not alone!

What do we do? How can we keep going with joy, enthusiasm, and dedication? How do we overcome our feelings of overwhelm, exhaustion, and or boredom? And how do we delight in Octobers, like Anne?

For many moms, myself included, it can help to remember what we LOVE about homeschooling! The simple act of calling to mind the positives, the blessings, often banishes and/or prevents a season of burnout.

So here are three quick things I love about homeschooling!

1. Flexible schedules! October is a great time to take a day (or more) off from homeschooling and enjoy the season! (and doing so often breathes new life into our daily drudgery!) But homeschool schedules can be flexible year-round, and if we preserve our autonomy, we get to set the hours and days we choose to do school. That means starting school at 6am or 1pm, taking off Wednesdays and/or working on Saturdays, and schooling through the summer months to take more days off throughout the year are all options!
2. Seeing my kids at their best! I've been told that many children come home after a long day at "away school" (which is what my kids call classroom learning) exhausted and irritable. With homeschooling, we still experience that at the end of the day, but we get to enjoy all of the good times, too! Plus, we get to see most of their achievements in person --- when reading first clicks for them, when they write something they're particularly proud of, when they make connections between stories and real life, when they discover what's unique about themselves!
3. Family bonds! IMHO, there is nothing more important to protect and fortify in today's culture as the nuclear family. Venerable Lucia dos Santos of Fatima (soon to be declared Blessed?) predicted, "The final battle between the Lord and the reign of satan will be about marriage and the family." Seeing my children rely on one another and trust one another (despite their teasing and fighting) is one of the greatest blessings of homeschooling to me! With two graduated and away at college, it is particularly beautiful to see their love and care for each other persist near and far, which I attribute to their many hours of learning and living together.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list and only includes three of my favorite things! I challenge you to pause for a moment now and think of one thing you LOVE about homeschooling in the hopes that it will renew your spirit and increase your zeal for this often tiring but truly beautiful vocation!

Together, we can enjoy Octobers along with Anne and beat back burnout by identifying the blessings of homeschooling! If you need more help than this simple step, check out this blog post for more ideas or schedule a 1:1 consulting call at any time!