Mike Smith:
Carol, last time you explained how a lot of homeschooling moms are running themselves ragged at home. Would you explain the concept of margin, and how this can help moms?
Carol Barnier:
Margin, very simply, it means the time, the money, and the other resources that we have left over when what must be done is finally actually done. You know, it’s funny, when I ask that question in a room full of homeschooling moms, the answer is almost always, “Nothing.” So most of us understand how we live too close to our means financially, but for me the big issue is time. Most moms work non-stop through the day, and then they just collapse into bed at night, and then usually we get up with less sleep than we really should get, and we start all over again.
So in my talks lately, I have been really encouraging moms to actively pursue margin in their life, because it will not happen naturally. We really have to make an effort to incorporate down time, and times of laughter, and times of fellowship into our lives. Homeschooling, unfortunately, is highly conducive to overextending ourselves. But we, and our families, we need the peace that comes with some downtime. And that’s something we’re going to have to make happen.
Mike:
Well, Carol, that’s such an important idea for moms! And we’ll talk more about how moms can implement this in their lives on our next program. And until then, I’m Mike Smith.
