Growing Pains

Well, it happened.  Gwen and Addie asked me Tuesday morning "Why can't we go to a REAL school?"  For Gwen, she misses being with other kids--not her sisters.  For Addie, she wants the experience of going away to school, like a full-fledged big kid. For both of them, the work we've been doing is "BORING."  

I can see that they're bored.  It isn't the curriculum--I'm really impressed with and enjoying both the Moving Beyond the Page and the Right Start Math programs.  But the "mom factor" is killing us.  I remember when I was a kid my mom taught me to knit and cross stitch for 4-H, and it was dead boring.  Of course I am an avid knitter now, so obviously both her instruction and example carried weight.  But the simple fact that she was my mom made her instruction tedious.  

My theory is that they can't distinguish between me telling them "Okay, it is time to clean up your room," and "Okay, let's learn about the life cycle of plants."  After spending the last eight years learning that mom's focused attention and instruction meant being assigned a chore, Gwen now associates the lessons we do with chores. Maybe I should develop a character--different voice, a costume--to help them see me as they would a teacher instead of their mom.  

I do realize, though, that I haven't been thinking in terms of making this fun.  I haven't planned any field trips, we're not taking much advantage of the freedom we have to drop everything and chase butterflies through the meadow.  Of course, it has been rather warm in the meadow these days.....but still.  SO, time to turn up the fun level.  We'll be heading to the swamp this week, to check out the nature center and walk the trails (hopefully avoiding the alligators).  And I will drag myself to the Friday park day that the local homeschool association has planned.  

It is hard, because I am still hurting from leaving my friends in Muncie behind, and would much rather sit at home feeling sad than haul all four kids to the park.  I'm not yet at the point where I want to make friends here--I HAVE friends, dammit.  They just live too far away.  Anyhow.  This blog isn't really supposed to be my emotional compost heap.  We've all got adjusting to do, and God willing, we'll be able to do that with a minimum of strife and large helpings of grace :)