On Monday, I woke up to a house that was messy, laundry needed to be done and the kids were begging to play with me. Little by little that gnawing feeling of tension started to well up inside; how was I going to get it all done today?
Of course, I already knew the answer. I wasn’t going to get it all done. Just like I don’t get it all done even on days when I haven’t spent the last several days in bed recovering from a sinus surgery. In the moment, when you feel like everything is most important, it’s easy to let that hopelessness keep you from taking any type of action.
All moms face this situation at one time or another. But homeschooling moms have an added pressure. We’re responsible for facilitating and guiding our children’s passions and learning throughout the day as well as taking care of the house and other responsibilities.
Since we don’t use a packaged curriculum or have scheduled lesson plans, and because we spend a lot of time outside exploring the community or digging into new projects of our own at home, I worried about the time I was sick and how we would be missing out on opportunities. I was already feeling bad about missing a tour of our local quarry and exploring the stalls at a local art fair later in the week.
But then my husband brought me back to reality. He said I’m always telling him about some new and exciting thing there was to do, or about a new book, game or project that the kids would love. We could never do everything anyways, and there would always be something exciting waiting for us when I got better.
So, I embraced what my surgery would bring for my kids: extra time spent with their grandparents, a lot of new knowledge about surgeries, sinuses and the way a body heals, and lots of time for pretend play and rest.
And I looked forward to extra time to read, plan and just rest.
Here are some tips for times when you’re sick
1. Plan ahead to have some help. If at all possible, line up someone to help take care of the kids while you recover- preferably another family member. I was very blessed to have my mother and mother –in-law watch the kids most of the day last Thursday and Friday.
2. Set aside something new to do. Have new activities, games or toys set aside to pull out during this time, too. My mother-in-law did such a great job with this. She took the kids to the dollar store, had fun projects for them to try and other activities lined up, too.
3. Share with your kids the details of your illness. Since I firmly believe kids learn best from first-hand experiences, I tried to include my kids as much as I could with my surgery. We talked about what would happen ahead of time, we learned what sinuses are and why we have them, they went with me to have my blood drawn and watched me look at my CAT scan with the doctor. When I came home, they helped take care of me; bringing me water, medicine and helping me get things.
4. Engage with your kids in small chunks of time when you feel up to it. In the first few days after a major surgery it may be hard to do this, but as you gain strength, try to talk with your kids as much as possible. I knew I needed to rest and not overextend myself, but I found that if the kids could sit on the bed with me and read to me or talk with me, they were less likely to whine or fight with each other. As long as they’re getting some attention from you, they’ll feel included and cared for.
5. Try to relax about the state of the house; focus on what’s most important. I’ve learned that pushing myself to do housework or taking on normal responsibilities too soon will almost always result in a setback; I’ll develop a fever or cold, or I’ll have less energy than I could have if I would have rested longer. The most important thing to do during this time is to focus on getting better and on spending some time each day with your family.
What are some of your tips for how to facilitate your kids’ learning when you’re sick?
Photo Credit: www.CourtneyCarmody.com
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