Homeschooling Retreat

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As I wrote in my previous post on homeschooling back-to-school, I think it is a great idea for homeschooling parents to take an overnight trip without the kids, just before school starts again. My husband and I chose Hot Springs, NC – about 90 minutes by car from our house. The trip was good for our school on many levels:

  • For the first time in five years, my husband and I were not parents for a full 24-hour period. Don’t get me wrong. We love being parents. We love our children. We planned to have them. Then, the constant job of parenting wore us down. We have taken time away from them for the last five years, but it was only for three hours at a time, at the most. We did not leave them overnight mainly because I could not handle it. However, as the children grow, so do the parents. I guess I have done some growing for the past few months.
  • We talked at length. We covered our educational goals, methods, and developments in the character our children that we noticed lately.

Hot Springs Sign

  • We were quiet, too. We focused on our individual laptops and did not say a word. Reading or writing for a full hour without little voices asking me this or that is a luxury I do not take for granted.
  • I used to feel guilty about not being with my children 24/7. I knew intellectually that a break would actually make me a better mom, but it was hard to move that piece of information into my emotional brain. During this trip, I made that switch. Not sure how it happened other than by being a tourist.

Eating good food + taking pictures + buying souvenirs + listening to the French Broad River from the porch swing + soaking in a Jacuzzi filled with hot spring mineral water = rest and relaxation.

After this trip, I feel I am ready to tackle homeschooling again. It won’t be long now. I’ll be back to tell you all about it.