When was the last time you cried? For me, it was last week. I don’t cry often. I tear up often, but I don’t weep. You know, like, with tears coming down my cheeks. But men’s figure skating touched me so much the other night, I was weeping. What does this have to do with homeschooling? Everything.

Jeremy Abbott fell during the men’s long program at the Sochi Olympics. But he got up and finished the program.

Homeschooling can be intense – like the Olympics. Many are called, few are chosen. Few can put up with the pressure. Much of the pressure we bring upon ourselves. Injuries happen. Emotional injuries, mostly, for us. One homeschooling mom who graduated her two children told me that we don’t know how angry we are until we homeschool.

So much of ourselves comes out in the process of imparting knowledge to our children. Stuff that we did not even know was there. It takes us by surprise. We wonder if we can move on. And we have to move on. In spite of our mistakes and our shortcomings and our failings, we must pick ourselves back up, apologize to our children, and start another day.  Continue reading »