First, before I truly start this piece, let me be clear.

We are totally enjoying the home-school experience. My son is doing very well. The material is challenging. The schedule works for us. That part is all good.

He is usually done with everything by the time my daughter gets home from 7th grade. Which is all sorts of awesome, because her work takes a few hours, and with my son done, I don’t have two kids with homework to complete.

However, I’m wiped. As in, out.

My day starts around 5:30 with some “me” time. Reading. Catching up on writing. Some work. My daughter is out the door by 7:20 and I hit the home gym. I get my son up after that, and we begin school by 9. We work until noon, when I then send him to play next door. Thankfully, our neighbors also home-school. And, they have a big back yard. And a Rainbow Loom. At noon I take calls for work . . . well, honestly, all throughout the morning I’m in and out of the “office” , which, for me, is online. We also have activities with other home-schooled kids two days a week.

We continue school until about 2, and then I get my daughter around 3.

I am then confronted with HER homework, karate class, youth group, indoor hockey, dinner, etc – the usual suspects. Oh, yeah, and there’s that play I start rehearsing for next week . . .

My husband, a Pastor, is out a few nights a week. When that’s the case, things wind down at home for me around 9:30. And I crash. I’m not used to crashing. I’ve not felt this way since I had wee ones.

(Cue the violins.)

I’m not complaining. Just sharing the facts. My goal this year, and the reason WHY I built a home business, was so I could be more present and available for my children. I am receiving exactly what I wanted.

Only, it really is a bit lonely.

My son is fun, but as we are together all day, gone are the spontaneous coffee dates. Or a lunch. Or a text/phone call from a friend. And shoot . . . how do I go get that mammogram? I do connect with my team/customers daily – so there is adult interaction. But, it’s different. I go back and forth from feeling lonely during the day, to relief that we are blessed to be able to give my son this model.

Unless I am completely intentional about connecting with friends in the evening, (which is hard, because, for one, I’m exhausted, and secondly, there is something called 7th grade math, and I suck at it) I really don’t see anyone . . .

We are not a part of a co-op, which was intentional due to my job, and since we are a cyber family, we do have to complete their coursework – so adding anything else to our schedule which involves me seeing other adults of homeschoolers is kind of out right now.

What’s interesting about this new feeling of loneliness, is that I actually LOVE time alone. It’s how I recharge. I can spend HOURS alone.

Only, I no longer have that time to myself during the day. So, I’m adjusting. And singing to myself, “Don’t you, forget about me . . . here in my house . . . teaching my son . . . don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t . . .” (Yeah, I embellished.)

Seeing as I’m still new to homeschooling, is it normal to feel this way???

Or, do I simply deserve a “Suck it up, buttercup!”

Be gentle.