Gel Pen Learning

I was recently talking to a fellow homeschooling mom and she was lamenting to me that her mother-in-law loves to pop in during the week right in the middle of lessons.

After three weeks of these uninvited interruptions, she tried to explain to her mother-in-law that she and the kids had a schedule. Her mother-in-law shot back with, ” You’re not busy. You’re homeschooling.”

That little sentence, along with its ugly cousins “What did YOU do all day?” and “So your math lesson was a field trip to the grocery store?” is more than dismissive. It is demeaning. It reduces real education and real work to a punchline.

But I don’t need to preach to the choir. You already know how much grit and grind goes into homeschooling. What we need is a secret hymnal, the kind full of songs that no one expects.

“Great is Thy Overconfidence”

This is the hymn you sing to that family member or acquaintance that sees your car in the driveway and assumes that you’ve been waiting all day for them to show up.

The verse you need to emphasize: “We’re in the middle of school right now, so I can’t visit. Can we connect after three?”

If they insist on a “short visit,” try this bridge: “Little Timmy is just figuring out this math problem and I want to make sure he’s solid before we end for the day. I’ll see you later though.”

And then close the door.

“Blessed Assurance (That You’ll Watch my kids for Free)”

Do you have a friend that assumes that you’re always available to babysit because you’re “always home”?

The chorus is short and sweet: “I’m unavailable during school hours.” You don’t need to explain that you don’t want to homeschool and keep an eye on someone else’s kid.

If they don’t understand why their lack of childcare and planning is not your problem, that’s a bigger entitlement problem. You’ll start noticing it in other areas too.

How Great Thou Art at Undermining

This blog posts exists due to my entire family has this hymn on repeat. It belongs to all the “well-meaning” but rude family members who make snide comments about “real school.”

My favorite verse goes: “No one asked you Aunt Susan, mind your own business.” (She’s been singing this song for ten years and hasn’t figured out that I’m not a fan.)

That’s my own verse.

Yours could be: “We homeschool because it is what we feel is best for our family. Instead of constant comparisons to public school, maybe ask us what we are learning instead.”

“Come Thou Fount of Random Errands”

Husbands and grandparents know this one by heart. It usually starts with: “Since you’re home, can you just…”

This hymn works best as a round, sung on repeat: “I can’t leave during the school day, but I’m available on the weekend.”

Expect to sing it several times before the message sticks.

“It is Well with my Schedule (Until You Showed Up)”

This hymn is universal. It can be sang to peoples, places, things, ideas. Basically, anything that can hijack your day.

Here’s what you say to yourself about illness: “School is flexible. Illness is temporary. We can shuffle, shift, double-back, and it will still count. We’re still learning every day.”

When the household cores pile up: “Laundry can wait. Dinner can be simple. We don’t cut homeschooling because life happens.”

When visitors arrive unannounced, sing: “I’m so sorry, but we don’t take social calls during school hours. Let’s reschedule.”

When the guilt creeps in, sing: “Yes the schedule is blown. No. I’m not a failure.”

Everyone thinks they know what the homeschooling soundtrack is, but the truth is, our musical repertoire is full of songs that most people have never heard. It isn’t the lazy slow beats of endless flexibility. It isn’t the mainstream anthems that people confuse for deep tracks. It’s a hymnbook that only homeschool families know, full of verses about boundaries and perseverance. The main message: protect your peace at all costs.

So when someone comes banging into your day demanding your attention, flip open your secret hymnal. Pick the right song, sing it loud enough for those people in the back to finally hear it, and then get back to what really matters.

Let’s Chat

Homeschooling already demands your energy, focus, and your grit. Don’t let the outsiders write the soundtrack for you.

If this resonated with you, hit reply and tell me what’s in your secret hymnal. I’d love to add a few new songs to the setlist.