Free time

Spending nearly twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with someone is trying of the patience of both parties. Most moms are so excited, though a bit sad and nervous, when their little one finally reaches kindergarten age. YES! Maybe time to shower without interruption, savor a grocery store trip with one less child or read an entire magazine alone. That time is precious and well-deserved for any mom or dad! 

This time is also often the first thing that moms, in particular, ask me about in regards to homeschooling. They will comment like “Oh I could never do that, I value my alone time” or “It must be so hard to be together all that time every day!” I completely understand that perspective and the three years my son was in public school were marvelously filled with free time, career and hobbies. However, as I was spending more and more time at his school, meeting with teachers and administration seeking appropriate academic environments for him, it became clear that my hobby had become advocacy. This wasn’t my intention, nor a hobby I would have chosen on my own. It was just the nature of the situation and what was required for him to get the quality of education he deserved. As my career and free time was dwindling rapidly, it seemed to make more sense to use those advocacy hours on schooling him myself.

Do I miss free time? Absolutely. I had the luxury of working part-time, which both fed my brain and kept me from getting bored. It also gave me time to have lunch with friends, work on projects around the house and to run errands alone. I was able to accomplish so much in those few days off of work that our weekends were free for family time and we rarely had chores that got in the way. 

Now, wrapping up year two of homeschooling and looking at year three, I realize the kid and I have hit a beautiful rhythm. Assuming he is on task, we can accomplish his schoolwork by 2pm on just about any day. That leaves us several hours of free time each afternoon. I’ve encouraged him to come up with independent projects so that I can use the time to read, make a grocery list, write or pay bills free of interruption. Sure, the independent projects often veer into playing Minecraft with friends online, but they just as often result in reading, working on a digital art project or building a massive Lego creation.

My friends also deserve a big high five and a hug for being so understanding. We try to have lunch together at least once a month, even with my perma-shadow in tow. He’s no fool- he knows that if he cooperates and reads a book at another table patiently, he’ll get the bigger half of the cookie. He also fully understands that a happy mom, means a happy teacher and that all leads to a better school day.Speaking of free time, our rhythm also means I get to spend more time baking. The kid has a strange sense of humor and requested this dairy-free "cheese" cake for his birthday party. His dairy-allergic friends appreciated his funny joke.