The challenge with multiples...

Let me preface this by saying that I don't regret our decision to homeschool for even a moment. No more barking at the children to leave their warm cozy beds at a cold, dark morning hour to put on a stiff uniform and jump in a cold car with their sack lunch and a book bag that weighs more than they do. No more stressed evening hours at the dinner table trying to figure how to get the homework done and projects completed before the babysitter arrives so I can get to the mandatory parent meeting on time. No more committees to lead, meetings to schedule, teachers to reason with or school yard bullies. It's just me and my kids, warm and cozy in our home. We are learning to be patient with each other, to be encouraging and to love learning for learning's sake.

However, as with life, there are still challenges. My 6th grader is very bright and a quick learner. He is capable of independent study and can retain an incredible amount of information. He's also an energetic boy who gets bored easily and feels the need to run around at top speed at least once every hour. He has trouble finding the need to sit still and loves to talk continuously! He does his best work when I can dedicate my attention to him as he talks me through his assignment or reads out loud to me. He prefers all his quizzes to be oral and detests anything he has to write down and turned in (math being an exemption). He likes me to read ahead of him in his texts and assigned reading books so we can discuss the information. Dialogue is his favorite past time second only to sports.

Then comes my 4th grader. She a much quieter personality and needs the quiet to focus and retain information. Unfortunately, even when she's struggling she remains quiet and forgets to ask for help. Suddenly out of nowhere she'll have a break down and I'll realize that she's two chapters behind on something or hasn't understood the foundation of something and now she's overwhelmed. Tears flow freely at this point and I need to remember that hugs work better than getting mad or impatient. She has also become best friends with her sister (which is a good thing, don't get me wrong). This, however, leads to many distractions as playing "Polly Pockets" or doll house can become more interesting than a boring lesson. Baby sister also cries for her attention and begs for her playmate, very dramatically I might add.


Our six year old is bright and very eager to learn. He goes to bed looking for promises that the next morning we'll do "school" again. He has finished a year's worth of math in two months and is beginning to read. He is also our most sensitive child and spends part of every day crying that someone hurt his feeling. Although academically he's been quick to catch on, logically he seems a little slow and often repeats the same questions regarding daily living as though he has never heard the answer. His attention span is short most of the time and he requires a change of activity frequently.

Our pre-schooler enjoys completely being the baby of the family. She expects everyone to adore her (which we do of course) and looks for love all day. She is also very bright and has been keeping up with the kindergarten curriculum easily. She is a born leader and drags our six year old behind her throughout her daily adventures. She lives for attention and is a complete clown! She sings, dances, and parades around enticing her oldest brother to leave his school work and begin a game of chase. Before I know it I have all four of them running at top speed around our kitchen. I have since began opening the back door and resigning to the fact that it must be recess time and shooing them all out for a few minutes.

Now, add to all this two different history lessons, two different science topics, two different reading assignments, and four different math lessons. No wait, it gets even better! Every ten seconds or so, some calls out "Mom!", "Mommy!", "Mama!", "I need help!", "He hit me!", "She's bothering me!", "He took my...". What's a homeschooling mom to do?