Homeschooling~How do they do it?

I used to wonder how they did it as well, and now that I’m homeschooling I’m met with a lot of positivity, always followed with a remark like “I just don’t think I could do that.” Or, “I don’t think I was made for that sort of thing.” Or, “My kids would hate to have to deal with me all day.”
I’ve thought the very same things.
When I was a youngster I thought homeschoolers were weird, but as an adult I see that it’s come a long, long way. We have the internet that makes a world of difference, connecting us to each other, to different curriculum and reviewer websites, and even school online.
Still, it can be very overwhelming to take your child’s learning into your own hands.
I was petrified.
It took me months to decide on what curriculum would work with my son who hates to write anything down on paper and has a very short attention span for anything not having to do with dragons.
It didn’t start off well at all. Each day was a battle. He had to get over his hatred for learning and I had to gain patience and better relationship with my son. I had to learn how to balance my younger children’s needs with his. I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old home with me as well.
I had to surrender to the fact that my home would have fewer days of cleanliness. I still work on that. I still wake up some mornings and think of all that I could accomplish and then remember that my son needs my time, some structure, and the discipline it takes for him to memorize his times tables and overcome his spelling difficulties.
But the wonderful and glorious part of homeschooling is that it’s my call! Yesterday we worked really hard. We had our noses in books for four hours. But today? Today started out with piano, and then we decided we needed to bake. I was making a pie for my husband’s fire fighting crew and Coby found a recipe in a book he was reading.
I told him he was entirely in charge of it. I would not be helping unless he asked. He felt pretty cool. “Mom,” he said, “do guys really need to know how to cook?”
“Oh yes,” I replied. “It’s very cool for guys to know how to cook.”
We loaded up the van and headed to the grocery store, with me quizzing him on his bane, multiplication tables. (He WILL have them memorized someday!)
I just watched my son make his first “Quick After-Battle Chocolate Cake.” I’m bursting with love for him…but of course I can’t tell him that because he’ll just roll his eyes and get embarrassed. (He read this over my shoulder and did indeed incorporate an eye roll.)



I guess my point is, I think the way we manage, the way I manage is to take it one day at a time; to make big plans and schedules but to know when to back off.
To try and be happy that my house is lived in, and remember that my children are becoming more helpful and self-sufficient by the day and I won’t always feel like I’m here in the trenches.
Aren’t they worth it?