ROOTED IN LOVEâ—½ HOME
When people find out you homeschool your kids, one of their biggest questions is how your kids will get “socialization.” It always kind of makes me laugh because it’s not like school is the only place where kids can be social. My kids literally make friends with other kids everywhere we go. They’re kids, so it’s easy for them. Plus, they have each other to play with, and they’re absolute best friends.
What people don’t talk about much, though, is socializing for homeschool moms. That’s something that no one really warns you about, and I’m going to be honest with you. It’s tough.
Making friends as a homeschool mom is so hard, especially when you also live way out in the country. There’s not a lot of socializing going on in my little piece of the world. I don’t mind
most of the time. This is the life I’ve chosen, being with my kids 24/7, investing my time into their education and childhood. It comes with the territory, and I’ve gotten used to it over the years.
But sometimes it really stinks. It can feel so isolating and lonely at times, like I don’t have anyone to talk to. Sure, I talk to my husband all the time. In fact, I constantly yack his ear off. Still, I sometimes find myself wallowing in self-pity because I lack adult interaction most of the time. Not that I’m a huge extrovert or anything. I’m actually a pretty big homebody. I guess I just struggle with balance and feeling like I belong. Sometimes it feels like I’m just existing in my own little world. I absolutely love my family and homeschooling and living in the country, but there are times where I just grow weary.
If none of this makes sense to you, that’s okay. I’m probably rambling on without making an actual point. I guess my point is that we all get lonely sometimes. Everyone gets weary and feels down on themselves once in a while. Sometimes life feels isolating. Maybe you’re surrounded by people but you still feel alone. I get it. I know how you feel.
On those days where I feel sad and lonely, I remind myself that this is just a season and feelings are only that. Feelings. I might feel alone, but I’m not. I have an amazing husband and two wonderful children who surround me with love and laughter every single day. I have a playful puppy and a grumpy cat to pet and play with. I have a yard full of chirping birds and beautiful trees and sunsets that pictures can’t quite capture. I have a God who treasures me beyond my wildest dreams.
There’s evidence of His love all around me every single day. Even when I feel alone, He’s always there. I can always trust Him to hold me and let me rest in His embrace. In the busy seasons or the slow seasons, lonely or not, I know I’m never alone. That’s the truth, no matter what my feelings might tell me. The truth is what I’m holding onto when I feel all alone, and you can hold onto that truth, too. Because just as He loves me and treasures me, God loves and treasures you. And you are never, ever alone.