What's the use!? (or maintaining focus)

by Jane Boswell

You started off well... full speed ahead, organized, on track, then sudden derailment. First came the flu making its ugly way through the ranks . . . followed by assorted aches, sniffles and coughs. Surviving those, you dove back into homeschool projects with a vengeance for two weeks and then found routines being upset once more by the busyness of the holiday season or surprise visits from long lost relatives. January 1st came bringing hope and the resolve to get back on track and stay there ... but when you looked over the sad, empty pages in your planner and stacks of lesson plans engineered last summer, guilt and helplessness overwhelmed. “What’s the use?” you think. You’ll never catch up.

You’re right. What freedom! The beauty is you don’t have to catch up. What and who are you trying to catch anyway? Homeschooling means moving at your pace - the speed of your life - and turning your attention to your life-priorities. For practical purposes, this includes the things that really interest your children AND you and focusing on a few areas that need work.

So instead of resolving to catch up, a more attainable goal is to learn to re-focus. Regularly. Refocus energy on dealing with priorities.

There were times in our house when TV was unplugged and even the answering machine lay buried under pillows in a back room. We seemed to have super powers of hearing, instantly tuning in to clicks, whirrs and beeps as that gadget performed its duties. Because of our responsibilities, we could not turn the phone off, but we did all agree that mornings were dedicated to a family study time, skills that needed polishing and important projects. After lunch, which we took turns preparing, we enjoyed a family ‘story stop’ time and then, except for shared housekeeping responsibilities, the rest of our day was pretty much our own.

Devoting a few hours a week to the priorities our family collectively deemed important, meant that the other (many) activities that filled our afternoons, evenings and weekends could be pursued without guilt. We may not have covered five textbook subjects each morning, but I knew the children were gaining ground in essential skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. (Most of these encompassed interest-based studies which continued into afternoon pursuits.) Allowed to move at their own, comfortable pace, each child happily moved closer to personal goals and soon realized that after taking care of their daily “skills work”, they had plenty of time to turn their attention to the myriad other projects that were always being launched. Focusing our time and energy on the meaningful left us the freedom and flexibility needed to tackle life’s inevitable surprises.

It’s easy to become sidetracked after illness runs its course through the family, or a new baby arrives, or a loved one dies or an elderly relative comes to receive loving care or life just simply demands our attention. But if you’re learning the art of refocusing, it gets a little easier to negotiate each bump in the road. Life’s interruptions can turn into opportune side-trips instead of derailments.

You’ve been given the energy for each day. And each day is full enough. Focus on today’s priorities. Look forward to tomorrow’s opportunities.

And God Bless You!