A Better Day

I'm not sure if it was the changes I made in our daily schedule or the baby's long afternoon nap (probably both), but school was a lot better today. Everyone got their work done, chaos was kept to a minimum (so was the mess!) and best of all everyone seemed happy. I know I should be the tough mom and not let it bother me, but I really don't like it when the kids complain about school. I don't mean it irritates me. I mean it upsets me. I feel guilty and sad and just want for them to love school. In no way does this mean I am going to make it easy for them. Definitely not. I know that at times it's going to be difficult or challenging, but I hope it's challenging in a good way. I just want them to love learning and I know that most of the time they truly do. In fact, I think that is one of the things that makes this whole homeschooling thing so enjoyable for me. I have kids who are naturally eager learners. They always have been. It's never been difficult to get them to read or write or anything really. And of course they're entitled to have a bad day or to let me know when there's something they don't like. I don't just want their feedback, I need it. I know that I understand their learning styles more than a stranger would, but the children are the ones who truly know how they learn best. So, M says more workbook pages please, she gets more workbook pages. G says she wants more hands-on projects, so today was a hands-on day with less writing. I try to listen to their learning needs and I'm doing what I can to meet those needs. So anyway, I'm glad we had a good day today. Nobody complained, a lot of learning was going on, and everyone was smiling. That makes me a happy mama.