Every December, the entire world starts whispering the same thing: “Next year will be different.”
But usually, “different” means doing more.
More commitments.
More curriculum.
More co-ops.
More activities.
More goals.
More resolutions that you’ll resent by February.
This year?
I’m calling BS.
2026 is not the year of doing more.
2026 is the Year of No.
Not in a petty, rebellious, “I refuse to participate in your group text” way (although…maybe).
I mean a deep, intentional, Essentialist “No,” the kind that protects the things that actually matter.
No to obligations that drain us.
If a co-op is sucking the life out of you, we’re not doing that in 2026.
If a volunteer role is taking more out of your family than it gives, nope.
If an activity requires Olympic-level logistics and your kid has the audacity to not care…absolutely not.
In 2026, the rule is simple:
If it is not essential and not joyful, it’s a no.
No to work we didn’t choose.
If it’s not paying your bills or contributing to your purpose, it’s not your job.
If you’re doing it because “no one else will,” congratulations, you’ve just identified something that is not your problem.
2026: No unpaid emotional labor.
No guild-based volunteering.
No whisper campaigns in church hallways about how “should really be helping more.”
We’re done.
No to performative parenting.
The internet has made “good parenting” into a spectator sport.
Elaborate holiday spreads.
Perfect schedules.
Color-coded chore charts.
YouTube-level educational setups.
If it doesn’t serve your real life, your real children, your real energy, that’s a hard no.
In 2026, we’re not an aesthetic.
We are a family.
No to financial nonsense.
If you can’t afford it, it’s a no.
If it will strain your household, no.
If you’re only considering it because you were influenced by someone online? Honey—that’s a double no.
In 2026, we buy intentionally, not impulsively.
We buy because it’s needed, not because someone unboxing it on Insta had good lighting.
No to opinions your don’t actually have.
You do not owe the world a stance on every political talking point, every viral controversy, every “breaking news” panic, every online outrage cycle.
In 2026, if it doesn’t affect your child, your home, your state, your values, or your bank account.
Nope. Not my circus. Not my serotonin.
You do not have to care.
You do not have to jump in.
You do not have to be “informed” about every single thing strangers scream about online.
No to anything someone on the internet said so.
If influencers want you to care about something—pass.
If the government or your school district tries to tell you what your priorities should be? Respectfully, no.
If someone insists that their way is the only way?
No again.
In 2026m we do what is right for our homes, our kids, our mental energy, and our actual calendar.
We aren’t outsourcing our judgement to strangers in 2026.
No to the fear of disappointing people.
This is the hardest one, but the most freeing.
The fear of disappointing people keeps homeschoolers exhausted.
It makes you say yes when your soul screams no.
It fills your weeks with things that look virtuous but feel miserable.
In 2026, here’s the motto:
If someone is disappointed by your boundaries, that’s information, not a crisis.
Your job is not to serve the comfort of people who want unlimited access to you. Your job is to build a life that works.
2026: The Year of Doing What We Want
In 2026, we:
- protect our time
- guard our homes
- choose our battles
- refuse to participate in nonsense
- stop apologizing for needing rest
- stop saying yes out of guilt
- stop drowning in activities that don’t actually matter
We are not striving for “more”
We are striving for meaning. Less but better.
We do not do things because “that’s how it’s always been done.”
We do not do things because “other families do it.”
We do not do things because “women are supposed to.”
We do not do things because “the district expects it.”
In 2026
We do what we want.
We do what we need.
And we say no to everything else.
Gel Pen Learning 
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