I was reminded again today of why I am so thankful our family has chosen to homeschool. And the reason may surprise you.
But then again, if you know me in real life, it probably actually will not be a shocker.
The real reason I plan to homeschool: I don’t want to have to fill out tardy slips everyday.
There I said it. I’m keeping my kids home because I am plagued by chronic tardiness.
(Not really. But sort of).
Take this morning. It’s day two of vacation Bible school and we need to be out the door by nine. I’m up hours early. Clothes are laid out. Absolutely nothing has to be packed to bring along. I have a plan for breakfast. And still, the last moments before we leave are spent in a hectic scramble to find the right shoes, to wipe all the jellied smoothie mouths, and to make sure everyone is strapped and snapped and buckled into their seats.
The drive there affords me the time to visualize the best parking spot, to plan the best route to everyone’s class (why is this church so big??!!), and to finish my breakfast (because, I’m a mom and finishing a meal in one place is so not likely).
We arrived and walked as swiftly as little preschooler legs can walk to my two boys’ respective classrooms, which are conveniently located on two different floors at the very end of their halls. Just saying. We made it just as everyone was beginning to line up and getting ready to “walk on the rope” as my boys referred to walking down the hall holding on to a rope.
The first day of VBS. We managed on time, which was actually late since I tried to be there early! Don’t worry, they’re both happy- it’s just too bright.
I’m sorry to say that this scenario isn’t unique to this week. Arriving on time anywhere in the morning is just plain difficult. Even if we do manage to get there on time, it was at great cost to my sanity and it’s no wonder if I arrive looking a little flushed.
I look forward to the day when I can finish my breakfast while my kids find their own shoes, wipe their own mouths, and get themselves in the car ready to go. At this point, I have two out of three children who need help with shoes, mouth wiping, and car seat buckling.
Although even writing that reminds me that this whole little childhood phase is already going too fast.
For now, I can just say that I’m glad next year there will be no busses to catch or classes to show up on time for.
Just in case, though, I came up with a list of potential answers to write in the “reason my child is late to school” portion of the tardy slip:
“Reason My Child is Late to School”:
1. My child takes longer to chew scrambled eggs than it would take me to eat an entire ribeye.
2. His shoes are now blister-inducing fiends and alternatives had to be found.
3. The baby needed new clothes due to a particularly exciting diaper.
4. The baby needed new clothes due to a particularly exciting breakfast.
5. I forgot to dress the baby.
6. We kept our kids up too late watching Star Wars and to say they woke up on the wrong side of the bed is an understatement.
7. I stayed up too late watching three episodes of our current addiction and “lost” my alarm clock this morning.
8. Two words: Bed.Wetting.
9. I’m pregnant and finding clothes that fit my current size in one try is like winning the lottery.
10. I was busy writing a blog post about being late.
post Star Wars shenanigans with DIY light sabers
Do you suffer from chronic tardiness? Here are five indicators that you may have this condition too:
1. You set your alarm for three hours before you have to leave the house in the morning and still manage to be late.
2. Your kids hear you say “okay, be ready to jump out of the car and go!” on a weekly basis.
3. Your spouse changes the departure time to thirty minutes earlier just in hope of leaving at the real time.
4. Articles about how Type A friends don’t understand why everyone can’t be on time makes you wonder if your friends think you have serious issues.
5. The night before you need to be on time somewhere important, your sleep is interrupt by multiple dreams about what you need to do to be ready and what will happen if you’re late.
Of course, our plan to homeschool our children is motivated by much more than a desire to avoid the principal’s office. But if you’re on the fence about homeschooling and have chronic tardiness issues like me, staying home for school is certainly a perk worth considering!
Yes! I was actually looking for a tote bag tutorial and stumbled on this – we had to go to the dentist today and, well, I still don’t understand why I can remind 5 children repeatedly of what time we’ll be leaving, yet five minutes before everyone’s running around frantically getting changed, brushing hair, and searching for stuff.
I imagine school mornings to be one long manic screech, but luckily we’ll never know.
I have 3 children and I’m nearing the end of this journey. I’ve been homeschooling since 1998 and was 7 months pregnant with my 2nd. My son will be 12th grade in a few months. I’m a little frightened of how I will feel when it’s all done. Definitely, bittersweet….. My reasons for homeschooling are different but there were times that I was glad we did with situations unforeseen (oldest hospitalized end of 4th grade and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes), being able to make doctor appointments for any time (always declining the tardy note they offered to get child back in school), not limited to taking vacations in summer. I had health issues including a cancer diagnosis in 2015 and planning and prepping made it doable for school to continue. It’s been an amazing journey. I’m in a different season of life now but I do enjoy getting a peak inside yours. Little ones can be physically exhausting but so much fun. I have teens and young adults. Love them dearly but it can be mentally exhausting trying not to worry about them.
We started homeschooling last year! I must say not having to rush to get my already slow to get dressed & out the door child ready is awesome! We can now take our time, do school & still be done in a decent amount of time :)) win win! Hes also not having the influence from this world so that is even better!
Yes! I love that you can not have to rush out the door and still finish school in a decent amount of time. So nice 🙂
This is such a great read! I love the part about taking forever to chew scrambled eggs lol. Honestly, I am still wrestling with the idea of whether or not to homeschool my daughter, for a lot of reasons. And I’m a public school teacher!
I used to teach public school too! I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach my kids at home now though. It can be an overwhelming decision, but the important thing is figuring out what works best for your family.