Should I feel bad that we start school at 6am?

[keyjoh]

I homeschool my children and work full time from home. There is just so much that I have to get done in a day, including running 3 guides this year. My oldest is 9 and in Bigger. We wake up and get started at 6am and after I am done with her at about 8am (we stop there and finish up anything later in the day). At 8am I start LHFHG and we are done at about 9 except for the rotating box on most days. At about 9am my 3 year old wakes up and we have breakfast. After breakfast from 9am-10am we do our chores (get dressed, clean rooms, etc) and are done with that at about 11am. I usually let them take a break and work with my 3yo in LHTH (30mins) and then we work on the rotating boxes in BHFHG & LHFHG and are done at about 1230ish. With this schedule we get school done which is the most important BUT I always feel guilty that I wake them up sooooo early, they don't complain and don't seem to mind. I think it's just the mommy guilt.

As I was saying school gets done BUT it is hard for me to fit in my work. Because they wake up so early they nap from about 130 to 330 which gives me 2 hours to get work done quietly. Other than that I am squeezing time in where ever I can fit it in. Should I feel guilty that we get started so early? I have tried getting up and working from about 5am to 8am and then starting there school after breakfast at about 9am. When I did that there were days that we just did not/could not get to all the boxes especially if something came up that we had to take care of. Lets not forget housework, cooking and everything else. My husband is gone from about 5am to 7pm so I am pretty much doing it all. I'm trying my best.

Sorry this is so long. Thanks for reading.

[annaz]

I'd say not if it's working and if your kids are doing well with it you should be fine. But if you find you're kids not getting much out of anything due to the time, than I'd change it.

I'm not a morning person. Is there a 6am? That would utterly kill me. On the other hand, others excel that early. Do what works, but make sure your kids aren't suffering for it.

[pjdobro]

My thought when reading your title was yeah, I would feel bad starting school at 6am, because I'm not a morning person. So anything that takes focus at that time of day would be bad for me. It sounds to me like you have a schedule worked out that is working for your family and situation. I agree with annaz, it if is working fine for your dc and you, then that is great. It sounds like they are still getting plenty of sleep. Many kids have to get up at 6am for regular school and don't get the benefit of an afternoon nap. The only thing I was wondering if your two older dc get a quick breakfast before school and then have second breakfast later (we're reading the Hobbit now )? I would think it would be difficult for them to concentrate well without something to eat first. I am really impressed with how much you are accomplishing and able to do. I think you need to give yourself a big pat on the back and stop feeling guilty.

[keyjoh]

Thanks for the responses ladies.

My children are morning children and do seem to be doing well. I just feel bad because I see so many homeschool families that sleep in and don't get school started until 9 or 10am and we are half way through by then. They go to bed at about 730pm (free reading) and then lights out a 8pm--when they wake up at 6am they have a quick snack of fruit and cereal and then I cook breakfast at 9am for all of us. I guess when I look at it, it does seem to work for us but I can't help 2nd guessing myself when I see the crazy looks that we get, like when we say that we start school at 6am OR when we are outside at 11am playing because we may have been done with school or at least almost done. I started feeling like a bad mom.

[netpea]

have you ever read Farmer Boy? They had to get up at 5:30, do the chores, go to school, do the chores, and went to bed at 9. I think you are doing great! My oldest goes to PS, he has to get up at 6:30, the bus comes at 7. I get my middle child up with him and try to get school started at 7 as soon as the oldest walks out the door. She is having trouble adjusting to this but this is what I need to do to get it all in and I'm only homeschooling the one right now. If we don't get part of our day done before the 2yo wakes up, we are in trouble.

[mrsrandolph]

I agree with the previous poster. Read Farmer Boy!! ; )

[lissiejo]

I also work from home and have to finish school early. We start around 7:30, but the girls have been up since 6:30 doing their morning chores, getting dressed, eating breakfast, etc. I have found that it's easier for me to do all three guides at once and give the older girls things they can work on independently until I finish with the youngest, then move to the middle and keep my oldest working on independent stuff, then I work with her in Bigger after the younger girls are done. This just works better for us. We do take a couple of breaks, but are typically done by 11:00. They lay down for a rest time and I have about 2 hours like you do, but that is a VERY short 2 hours!

Don't feel guilty. Do what is best for your family...it doesn't have to match what any other homeschooling family is doing! I'm constantly getting ribbed by my homeschooling girlfriends for getting my kids up early, but then they are still schooling into the afternoon and their kids are often resisting the work because they want to be doing something else!

[LovingJesus]

Thanks for the responses ladies.

My children are morning children and do seem to be doing well. I just feel bad because I see so many homeschool families that sleep in and don't get school started until 9 or 10am and we are half way through by then. They go to bed at about 730pm (free reading) and then lights out a 8pm--when they wake up at 6am they have a quick snack of fruit and cereal and then I cook breakfast at 9am for all of us. I guess when I look at it, it does seem to work for us but I can't help 2nd guessing myself when I see the crazy looks that we get, like when we say that we start school at 6am OR when we are outside at 11am playing because we may have been done with school or at least almost done. I started feeling like a bad mom.

I am a morning person and I miss the days when my kids started school by 7 am. Those were great home school days. I let them stay up with the light this summer and everything is a bit topsy turvy with later bed times of 9. Last school year they started going to bed later with Awana and that too made for later start times.

I wouldn't feel guilty. Some of my favorite home school memories are 6:30 around the kitchen table doing school work. They were so effective!! They can do more work between 6 & 9 than any other hours of the day. It is the old saying from Mother Goose ~ early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Well we aren't striving for the wealthy, but I would like my kids to have wisdom! Seriously though I am hoping as we enter the darker time of the year to re-establish earlier bed times and earlier starting school times. It just seems like those early hours create wonderful mental focus in our home that is highly productive instead of highly distractible.

It sounds like you are doing a beautiful job. Keep up the tremendous work you are doing!

[KristinBeth]

My kids are up at 6 every morning and we still don't get started until 9! So now I feel guilty! I am impressed that you are on the ball while I am drinking coffee and reading email.

[keyjoh]

Thanks Ladies! I feel SO much better!

[mskogen]

I want to agree with the others. If it works for your family then it is the right thing to do...I have one child who gets up at 6am and does all his independent boxes (he is doing CTC) before his siblings get up, sometimes even before Mom! Glad you found what works for your family!

[my3sons]

I'm in total agreement - sounds like it's working well to me! My oldest ds gets up at 6 AM to do his school - his choice. He would get up earlier, but I said 6 was the earliest I'd let him. Works great for him! Chances are, our dc will have to be at a job working quite early in the day at some point in their lives. Sounds to me like you are providing excellent training for real life! As long as kiddos are getting enough sleep somehow, which it sounds like they are for sure, an early start makes total sense for your family.

What do I need to do to keep homeschooling? This is a very important question to ask ourselves, or we may find we suddenly feel unable to keep homeschooling. For me, I do need to work part time. It makes my dh supportive of me homeschooling when he otherwise may not be. It also makes it possible for me to afford to homeschool. It sounds like you may be in the same boat. It is wise to consider what the day needs to look like for this to work. I think you have done that. Good job! I did want to encourage you that once your oldest is doing PHFHG, you will be able to have her working independently at the same time you are teaching your then Beyond child. This overlap of time will shorten your school day and probably end up letting you and your dc catch a few more zzzzzzzz's before the start of your day. For now though, sounds like you have a good plan that is working! Way to go, mama!

In Christ,
Julie

[Gigi]

If you and your kids are functioning so well in the morning, I would not feel guilty! I feel guilty when I sleep in until 9 and don't get started until 10:30 am, but we are night owls here! We are done with LHTH and Beyond by 2 pm. I too work FT from home from 4:45pm to 1:15am - sometimes don't get to sleep until 2:30am. I don't have a flexible job, I'm attached to a headset those 8 hrs doing Customer Service...so I have to get dinner and chores done before work and then dh takes over! So we run on a different schedule than ALL of our homeschooling friends, but it is the season we are in, and it works for us. And that is all that matters! (it took me a while to get that). I do all things through Christ who strengthens me daily!

Blessings,
Gigi