Life is hectic, and running a household full of kids can be a real challenge. Add the responsibilities of educating your children at home and you might feel overwhelmed. To some extent, homeschoolers will ALWAYS feel like there aren't enough hours in the day! It's part of parenting, and even more a part of homeschooling. There are some things that can help. I read the book "Managers of Their Homes" and it really helped me. It is a book about scheduling your homeschool, so that you do the most important things FIRST. Determine what your priorities are, and then start with priority #1. The less important things may need to be less frequent. A schedule will sometimes tell you what is going wrong.
Sometimes parents will tell me what they are "trying" to do each day. When I add it up, they are doing too much! I remember one mother I met had scheduled nine and a half hours a DAY on academic subjects with her 9th grader. Maybe you are simply trying to do too much! So prioritize, and make sure you aren't biting off more than you can chew.
When we were homeschooling, it always felt like we were being asked to do "more." It became a struggle to keep a balance between what was important and what was "urgent". Sometimes it became necessary to cut back on some of the activities we did outside the home. You might also consider eliminating things like co-op classes, sports teams, music lessons, volunteering, employments, Boy Scouts, and even church activities. Sometimes it's all just too much! Again, try to decide what you really need and what's important to you. Scale back your activities if you can. I encourage you to have your teen be part of the conversation, though. Their interests should carry a LOT of weight.
Finding the right pace for your homeschool requires a lot of planning. Failing to plan your high school is one of "The 5 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make WhenHomeschooling High School." Learn how to avoid all 5 mistakes in my free e-mail mini-course.
