It's a Pinterest World

I love pinterest. I seriously go there instead of searching the internet. If I need a unit study on a topic, a recipe, curriculum review, craft ideas..... The list goes on and on. I do love all the great ideas I find. I actually do try some of them. SOME OF THEM.

One thing that i've had people ask me , as a homeschooler is, "How do you entertain them all day?".
I'm stupified at that question. It confuses me. Do people really think I "entertain" my children all day?
No wonder people are intimidated by homeschooling moms!! They think we teach them, keep the home clean, cook, shop, AND entertain our children all day!

That is IMPOSSIBLE. I know that some of the blogs out there would have you thinking that but i'm sure if you chatted with that blogger mom, you'd get a different picture.

Pinterest is a great place to get great ideas for a rainy day. Yes, I've made flubber and homemade playdoh but that was on snowy days when we had the extra time....NOT EVERY DAY!!!

When I chat with my friends who have children in school, they seem to lose their patience and don't like when their children are home. Why?? The prevailing answer I get is, "I don't have enough energy to entertain them".

Entertain them?? Are we suppose to entertain them ALL *DAY* LONG?? I missed that in the parenting manual??

NO!! My mom didn't entertain me. Sure we chatted, I helped her, she'd play occassionaly but if I said, "I'm bored"....she'd give me a chore to do. I QUICKLY learned how to use my imagination to keep myself busy.

Is this the world we live in?? Are parents entertaining their children all the time??

Does Pinterest make us feel like we should be entertaining them with all these crafts?? Daily?? NO!!

Yes, my children are with me all day. Yes we are talking, working, singing, (And dancing...shhhh ) through out the day , but i'm NOT entertaining them.

In fact, what we do most of the day is called "living". Here is what a typical day looks like for us:
 *Wake Up
*Have breakfast
*Clean up from breakfast
*Get dressed, brush teeth, make beds.
*Morning chores/ tv time (maybe)
*School work (Till lunch time)
*Lunch/ clean up from lunch
*Finish school / chores
* Kids go off to play.... The LAST Person they want is me. They're both offf playing their elaborate make-believe games. Now that our dog is better trained, they use Lizzie. Oh the games they play!!
*I'm getting ready for dinner, folding laundry, making phone calls, getting mail, taking a shower (If i'm lucky), exercising, Face book, Blogging, reading, researching.......

That's it folks...I am NOT entertaining my children all day long.
1. They get a TON Of my attention. They aren't at school all day. They're with me. They learn from me. We work side by side. They aren't looking for my attention. If  your child is *Demanding your attention*, it's because they NEED IT!!

2. They NEED time to use their imaginations. I can NOT entertain them all day. I would LOSE my mind. They would NEVER develop the ability to play by themselves and entertain themselves. They need this for independance.

When I explain this to my friends who have their children in school, they look at me and say, "Oh you're lucky".

Luck has NOTHING to do with it. It's the way our days have been from the beginning.

Lets look at a typical day for the average family  who put their children in school...
*Today children are starting "Preschool" at the age of 2!! Really?? That's NOT SCHOOL!!

Our children are in school all day. They're NOT socializing, their sitting, They're being told what to do, how to do it and it's all with children their own age.

School is over and then it's extra curricular activities. Ballet, dance, football, boy scouts, girl scouts, swimming, etc. - Again, controlled environments where your child is entertained.

Then it's homework, dinner, bath and bed. IF they have some extra time it's TV..Ipad's, video games...etc.


The average child is being entertained 24/7  by someone or something!!!

STOP IT!! Get off the crazy cycle.

We did NOT have play dates when I was a kid. My friends came over and played in my yard.
My mom did NOT entertain me. If I said the word "Bored", she would say, "oh good , I have some chores I need done." **Problem solved!!**

This summer, look forward to this time with your chlidren!! Let them be BORED! They WILL learn to entertain themselves. Sit back and listen to the games they play. Listen to the creativity they develop when they're not entertained all day long.

Yes, they'll get into mud. Yes they'll fight but in the end, you'll enjoy your summer with them. They will develop a new skill AND probably create some great memories from their LONG BORING SUMMER!!!

PLEASE DO NOT Post on Face Book how you can't wait for your child to go back to school. IT really saddens me. If i'm sad by it, imagine what it's doing to your child?

God Bless,
Laura