Burnout
Staying Sane
as You Homeschool
By Kathy Kuhl
Ever feel like running away from home—when you’re the mom? I don’t like admitting it, but sometimes I feel like quitting.
A pathetic parent, a lousy teacher, and as
for housekeeping, don’t ask!
We all have days and seasons when it is
hard to keep going. Illness or a new baby
exhausts us. A hurting or rebellious child
makes our hearts ache. Perhaps we are
unemployed and short of cash or lonely
because our spouse is deployed.
1. Love your children.
“But,” you say, “of course I love them! I’m
giving my life teaching, cooking, laun-
dering, driving . . .”
However, if we do it without love, all
our effort is just noise (I Corinthians
13: 1). While we won’t always feel loving (cleaning up after a sick child, for
instance), we must guard against resentment and self-pity. In chapter two of
Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to
Parenting Teens, Paul David Tripp asks,
“Whose idols are in the way?” He helps
parents see how their own hearts can
make it harder to raise teens. His lessons
apply to all parents.
Next, look above the piles of papers, dirty
dishes, and laundry. Look at your children.
Enjoy them. Watch the curves of your
little one’s chubby face, the young woman
flowering from your little girl, the man
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