Truth be told, you never finish homeschooling. At least, that is my hope. I am a homeschooling veteran of 20+ years. Child number four is just a few short weeks away from graduating from high school. This, of course, supplies a slue of emotions and memories. Most of these emotions and memories are good, very good, and I am thankful to be able to honestly say that. While I wish there were some things I could do over, I find myself eternally grateful for just about every moment of my homeschooling experience.
I have never been the type of mother to anxiously wish for the next stage of independence in my children. You know the type that constantly says things like, "I can't wait until he can walk," or "I can't wait until she is potty trained." That has never been me. Rather, I have always been the type to seize the moment, smell the roses, lay on a blanket in the back yard with my kiddos and look at the clouds. And still.......they grow up very quickly.
So, my sweet baby will graduate from high school in June and head off to college in August. It's bittersweet. As a parent, you spend 18 years training your child to be responsible and independent, and when you succeed, it makes you cry!
When my oldest child started high school, I had a reality check. I knew that my homeschooling years were numbered and that I needed a plan "beyond homeschooling." I never really had a moment of epiphany or sudden revelation, but instead the plan developed slowly and somewhat logically. I am a trained educator...I have been the educator of my children for years...I like educating...Perhaps I should continue educating. Through a friend I discovered educational therapy which is an intervention that provides one-on-one mediation with students that struggle to learn. I have been able to apply these skills and knowledge to my remaining years of home education, am helping other families with struggling learners, and have also prepared myself for life beyond homeschooling.
Today I am an educational therapist and am working on my master's degree. Plus, I hope to teach college someday soon. That is part of the plan for my life "beyond homeschooling."
The other part of the plan is to have grown kids that still "want" my help, rather than necessarily "need" my help. With adult children I fully realize that my role as "Mom" is changing. No longer am I the authority in my children's lives, but I hope to be a confidante, adviser, and friend. As a parent I have often felt that the one thing that brings me the greatest joy is to have my children confide in me and trust me. Therein, I pray, is my life beyond homeschooling.
Smiles,
Lorri Wilke
:)
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