Time and School Happeneth to Us All

You would think that a mother who is at home with her kids almost ALL of the time would not feel worried about spending enough time with her kids.

NOT SO!

You would think that actually schooling your children would count as time spent together.

NOT SO!

You would think that when you work on a school subject or activity with someone, that eye contact would be a no-brainer.

NOT SO!

No, this WonderMom realizes as she kisses little boy neck and cheek goodnight, that she's neglected someone. And too often, it's more than one kid that has been ignored.

The truth around here is that Lucas gets the most attention. By his nature, he demands large amounts of time and is CONSTANTLY in your face about it. He talks constantly, asks questions, persists for answers, implores you to LOOK (thus getting the eye-contact) and in general lives his life in constant connection to people(usually Mom). He's naughty for attention and helps out with chores for attention. For example, today he shoveled the snow off the sidewalk. This was quite the feat, since he had to bash the shovel on the ground to knock the load of snow off EVERY SINGLE TIME. A mom can't ignore things like that.

But Julia and Aidan are less demanding. Julia is just quieter. She needs someone to notice her, and anticipate her needs. She doesn't ask for attention, she just gets mean. (Which makes me look ahead and realize I need to do some training or she'll be in poor form for a spouse or companion.) Aidan is not very needy and can spend hours on little projects, games or activities with the most he needs being a snack. When he does need some snuggle time, he comes and gets it. But because he plays so well by himself or with his siblings, I only interact with him for the few structured school activities or when it's time for him to do a chore. We have a scheduled storytime each day, and that is good. But it's still not ALL that is needed for interaction.

And this brings me to another, similar issue. How in the WORLD do I homeschool three little kids and give them each the time they need? Julia does go to her school three mornings a week, and I'm glad she does so she can get some learning time. But I school her the other two mornings and even when she is gone, I have trouble juggling Lucas and Aidan. The kids are too little to be sent off to do work by themselves. Lucas has some copywork he can complete on his own, as well as some spelling activities. But most other stuff we do together, combining the explanation and instruction with the actual activity itself. And he will learn to do more things on his own, but that isn't a reasonable expectation for a first grader to homeschool himself. Aidan is really taking off, and is passing Julia up in the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, by Wise/Bauer, of the Well-Trained Mind fame. But it would be ridiculous to expect him to practice words with short vowel sounds on his own. Clearly not an option.

So I have to figure out what things each kid can do on their own and keep a tight eye on a three-point rotation schedule!! And I haven't had success with that, yet. Not even with a two-point rotation! I'm wondering how a timer might help me out. It might keep me on task, so I don't abandon someone too long. And it might help keep them on task, too, knowing that when the timer rings, they can do something less structured, like playing, coloring, etc. I'm sure it's worth a shot.

Because right now, I find that I'm teaching a full day to Lucas, then a pre-school day to Aidan and two days a week it's a Kindergarten day for Julia! And the overlap is VERY minimal!

Well, I feel better just articulating the issues. I'm excited to homeschool and I enjoy teaching them. I just want to do an exceptional job. They deserve it and I shouldn't waste their time at home if I can't do their education justice.