One of the major roadblocks for families wanting to homeschool is "What about housework?" It was a major concern for me, too. While in the research faze of homeschooling, I think I read about every book out there on homeschooling. Each one seemed to give the impression that housework would suffer. It seemed that homeschooling and keeping a clean home just didn't mix. Alas.
This was discouraging to me because I'm a person who needs to have a clean house to be happy. That doesn't necessarily mean that my house is clean all the time. But when it isn't, I feel irritable, short on patience, and inadequate. I know that many people out there feel the same way, and so, a few tips on keeping house while homeschooling.
First, establish a system in which the children are helping out! I cannot overstate this. Children need to work. They need to feel that they are contributing to the family and the home. They need to be trained in basic cleaning skills so that when they grow up, marry and start their own families, they will not be a burden on their spouse and children. I've struggled for years to find a way of getting kids to help that made sense. Until recently, that "system" was just asking and nagging them into it. We tried a couple of chart systems with limited success. I finally found a plan that works for us. It's called Accountable Kids. It's based on the law of the harvest; "you reap what you sow". If they don't complete their chores, they don't recieve basic privileges like playing with friends. It puts the responsibility on them, not the parent. So far, it works for us. Find one that works for you. Make a list of every chore that your kids need to do every day. Get them doing these chores for about a week. Then add weekly chores that are bigger for which they can be paid. Consistency is key here. When kids are doing chores on a daily basis, it's like magic! I can't even tell you how wonderful it is to have the dishes done, the beds made, and bedrooms remaining clean with no labor on my part. When kids are putting away all the toys and paraphernalia that they've dragged out every day, it's astonishing to see how much easier it is to do the more thorough cleaning like mopping, etc.
Second, but equally important; get yourself on a system! For the last five years or so, I've been doing all my laundry on one day. That's about eight loads washed, dried, folded and put away in one day. I tried keeping up with this system while homeschooling and you know what happened? We wound up with mountain of laundry as high as myself and no time to do it. What went wrong? Well, with homeschooling, everty day was pegged for school and basic picking up type cleaning and the day off (Saturday) was supposed to be for deep cleaning and laundry. But instead, it turned out to be the only day that I have to run errands (alone) and it is also the day that two of my kids play soccer. Obviously, laundry was not getting done. Finally my husband took the kids all day one Saturday and I conquered the mountain. The week after that I changed the system to doing one or two loads of laundry a day. Problem solved. Lesson to be learned: If something is not getting done, there is a problem with the system. Rework the way you are doing things until you find a way that works for you. I can email or post my housework schedule for anyone who is seeking help.
Good luck on your homeschooling adventure. Remember that the home still needs to be run. Find a schedule and routine that helps you get things done, and don't overwork yourself. Forgive yourself of shortcomings as you would others. It may not be fun to scrub toilets and iron shirts, but there is satisfaction to be had in knowing that the home is a nice place to be, a refuge from the outside influences and stresses of the world. Until later,
Kristy
No comments:
Post a Comment