At the end of every school year, I see parents relishing the end of the mundane (yet busy) school routine, ready to embrace the summer rest. However, soon into summer, kids are bored, parents pull their hair out and can’t wait to for the kids to go back-to-school (mind you, this is still June).
Then August rolls around, parents storm tax-free shopping weekend, and a few days later send their kids off to school with a sigh of relief. Don’t get me wrong here. It’s great to crave the routine and structure the school year brings. However, if you’re breathing sighs of relief when your children walk out the door, you may want to consider why.
My Time With My Children Is Limited
There was a time when I worked outside of the home, then stayed home for a year, then went back to work, and now I’m home again (hopefully for good). In every season of life, I still desired time with my children. In the back of my mind, I always knew the day would come and they’d leave the house and become adults.
Recently, that realization actually hit me “like a brick wall. My time with children is truly limited. Yes, the years seem long now, but they fly by so quickly. I must make every moment count.
There Is Never A Back-to-School (kids are always learning)
Whether you’re kids leave your home and go to school, or you homeschool your kids, you must realize that the learning NEVER stops. They may not be learning reading, writing, and mathematics every second, but they are learning. And guess what? You’re teaching them.
But I don’t homeschool, so how am I teaching? Well, children learn by watching, doing, reciting, singing, and the list goes on. Before your children stepped into a classroom, you taught them. You taught them to talk, walk, laugh, play, use the bathroom correctly, and …… Learning never stops.
I’m Leading By Example (good or bad)
We’ve taught our children since they were small even when we didn’t realize it. We’ve taught by example. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s an incredible realization when you think about it. We are the first teacher they see in the morning and the last ones at night. For some of us, we’re the only ones. Our children watch us. They imitate us. We’re teaching by example whether we realize it or not.
I know the days are long and heavy sometimes. Whether our children are with us all day long or for a few short hours each day. I don’t have the back-to-school mentality because I know I’m always teaching my children. And I love that, no matter how long or short the days may be.
-Danielle
