Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

If you’re going to change the way you live, you’ve got to change the way you think! Today, an author, speaker, and homeschooling mom explains some ways to mentally include more margin in your life. Join Carol Barnier and HSLDA President Mike Smith on Home School Heartbeat.

Mike Smith:
Carol Barnier is with us this week to talk about how creating more margin in your life can counter the stress and exhaustion common to many homeschool moms. Carol, the first thing that’s got to change is attitude. How can moms start thinking differently about how busy their lives really should be?

Carol Barnier:
Well, when we first homeschool, I think part of why we push naturally toward “busy” is that we have that fear of socialization. And it doesn’t help, every third person you meet asks you, “Well, what about socialization?” But the longer that you homeschool, the funnier that question gets. The question is not, “When will my child spend some time with other children?”—but rather the question becomes, “When will we ever spend some time at home again?”

I got a lesson in this early on from this homeschooling family I knew. And they had at least six kids, all of whom were very talented musicians. And the parents wanted music instructors for their kids, but they had one rule: they said the teachers had to be willing to come to their home. Now in doing this, they knew they might not always get their first choice, but it was so important to them not to be running around all the time that they made this a priority. It was really a good lesson for me.

It’s okay to choose to say no to some activities, even some good activities, and just stay home.

Mike:
Carol, that’s such a valuable truth. Thank you for sharing that with us today! And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.