Inspiration or Comparison?

Our homeschool school year is officially underway! We’ve been at it for over a month now and I’d say it’s safe to say we’ve settled in pretty well. So far, I’m super happy with our curriculum choices for our core subjects and I’ve signed my kiddos up for a few extracurricular activities. We’ve had a couple days where the time simply got away from us and I had to push some activities over to the next day, but overall, I think we’re being pretty productive. So productive in fact, that I thought it would be a good idea to hop online and checkout what other people are doing in their homeschools this year (you know, to get some inspiration & see if there’s any must-have’s that I’m missing). What was I thinking!?!

I’m not one to spend much time searching for redecorating tips to use in my home or for fashion ideas. Those things don’t do much for me, but a Pinterest feed or a blog with fun hands-on activities, booklists or lesson ideas…now we’re talking!! There are some amazing resources out there and I’m all for that…thankful, in fact! I love that you can access so many wonderful ideas from experienced homeschoolers along with reviews of curriculum, exciting lesson plans & creative activities. Creativity has never been my strong suit, so Pinterest (and other social media outlets) along with some really great homeschool blogs have been a real blessing to me. I’m able to draw inspiration and often make quality additions to our homeschool. However, there’s a fine line between finding inspiration & falling into comparison and I crossed it.

For me, comparing myself to others will steal any amount of peace I may have. I was literally going right along with my days feeling great about all that we were doing and then I read about something that someone else is doing in their homeschool and I suddenly feel like we are falling behind. Because she’s doing this or taking her kids there, I feel like I should be too. I see all of the super crafty & creative activities that someone is doing and even though it has nothing to do with anything that we’re studying, I think we should definitely add that to the list! I (can I be as bold as to say WE?) need to stop comparing myself (ourselves) to others.

Especially you new homeschooling mamas. Please don’t compare your brand new homeschool to that of someone who’s been at it for several years. Stepping into this new journey will be an adjustment…for all involved! Your homeschool likely won’t look like the neighbor’s homeschool and it certainly won’t look like the classroom that your children are used to. Part of the beauty of homeschooling is that we can make it our own. Do what works for your family!

The thing is there will always be someone who appears to be doing more, their kids achieving more, their homeschool seems to be more creative & more joy-filled. And as helpful as many of these wonderful resources can be, they can also be kind of discouraging. Don’t let inspiration turn into comparison! Keep your eyes on what’s most important and trust that what you are doing is enough.