Getting Real

Today I listened to an inspirational talk given by Todd Wilson titled, "Get Real."  The seminar was one of the many wonderful presentations given at the recent online The Old Schoolhouse Expo.  While I didn't attend the webinars live, I have been enjoying all of the talks that I downloaded to my iPod. 

The main point of Todd Wilson's talk was that, as homeschooling mothers, we believe that other homeschooling mothers are doing a better job homeschooling, have smarter/better behaved/more talented children, and have better marriages.  He posited that the reason that we believe these lies about each other is because we don't Get Real with each other and share our less than perfect moments.

I highly doubt that anybody who has read more than one of my blog posts would place me in the perfect homeschooling mother category but, just in case, here are 10 Get Real facts about my family and me.

1. Not one of my children knows how to play a musical instrument...and nobody wants to learn.
2. I rarely make breakfast.  My children all eat breakfast each morning but they are in charge of making it themselves.
3. I don't have a chore chart or any organized system for chores.  I can sometimes be found yelling orders from the kitchen.
4. My two older children can be very nasty to each other sometimes. 
5. I have felt so overwhelmed at times over the years that I locked myself in the bathroom and cried.  Hard, with a runny nose, blotchy face, and trouble breathing.  I've also cried in the parking lot at Super WalMart. 
6. I gave up on teaching my children Latin.  I still have the curriculum, though, and am hopeful that I will attempt Latin again with them...someday. 
7. I don't grind my own flour, make my own bread, grow my own vegetables, keep chickens, or avoid all processed food.  I think all of those things are really, really, really good things.  I just don't do them.  I sincerely admire mothers who do any or all of those things.  I would like to do some of those things. 
8. My oldest child struggles with spelling.
9. I'm not always calm and patient.  Just a few weeks ago, I lost my temper with my squabbling children during a geography lesson and yelled SHUT UP at my middle son.  The complete silence that followed and the look of hurt on my son's face filled me with shame.  I'm still ashamed.
10. I don't use a daily planner.  I would like to use a daily planner.  I don't even know why I don't use a daily planner.  I need to use a daily planner.

So, there you go - 10 Get Real facts about me.  While I didn't agree with all of Todd Wilson's assertions in the talk to which I listened, I do completely agree that mothers (homeschooling or not) are hard on themselves.  I also think that mothers can be hard on each other as well.  Perhaps by getting real, we can all extend a bit more grace to each other.