Sep 20 2008
Daddy Homeschool Day
Today was a work day for me, and my mother was not available to watch my girls. I’ve taken a lot of time off lately as we got our homeschool started, and didn’t think I could take off yet another day at short notice. So my husband took the day of to stay home with the kids.
My mom was thrilled that he was going to do this. She thought it would be ‘good for him’. Her attitude bothered me a little because it implied to me that she didn’t think he appreciated what we do by homeschooling. That he somehow takes us for granted, and thinks what we do is easy, or unimportant. At home, he is very supportive. Not one has he ever criticized what I do, or don’t do. He’s never expected dinner to be on time, or cooked at all when he comes home. If there on no clean socks, he doesn’t complain, he does a load of laundry. He’s proud an impressed with what our daughter is learning.
Nevertheless, I knew he hasn’t put in all the research and background preparation that I have. So I asked him if he wanted to do his own projects today, or if he wanted me to give him a plan. He asked for the plan. I spent some time explaining what we were doing, what we’d already done, and gave him several options for activities for each subject we like to cover. I told him to pick a few, or let our daughter pick.
Even thought I thought he understood what he was getting into, I came home to an exhausted husband who happily turned the kids over to me, and retreated into his computer as soon as I was in the door. I tried not to be, but I was a little disappointed in how little school they did today. I think I’ve let go of that now – it just came as a surprise since homeschooling was originally his idea.
I didn’t think daddy needed a lesson about the homeschooling, but he got one today anyway.
Maybe he can do it more often. He’d get better at it that way.