You’ve probably heard Theodore Roosevelt’s saying that “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Join Gina and Christyn as they discuss the challenge of overcoming the green-eyed monster when it shows up in their homeschools. The good news is that just looking for the little joys that come with this lifestyle is enough to overcome the jealousy and keep the focus on the wonder that comes with lifelong learning!
2:12 The focus of the OnlySchoolers is to provide a joyful, uplifting show, but we’re also honest enough to admit there are hard things about homeschooling: one of those hard things is jealousy
3:02 The 11th Commandment in Homeschooling is “Do not covet thy neighbor’s homeschool” — and that’s a hard one!
4:02 When it comes to homeschooling, there’s a tendency to compare ourselves and our kids and our homeschool situation to other families…and come up short
5:12 There are three distinct categories when we discuss jealousy in homeschool
1) Comparison of homeschool parents/teachers
2) Comparison of our children to friends, siblings, cousins
3) Comparison of homeschool situation
5:47 Gina discusses parent envy of a friend who creates festive occasions in her homeschool
8:14 Christyn discusses parent envy of the “perfect homeschool days” posts on Facebook and envy of homeschool moms who manage get-togethers without their kids
10:19 Gina and Christyn discuss jealousies that revolve around having an only child
13:00 Homeschool graduation season brings up jealousies about where our kids are relative to other kids. Seeing others’ accomplishments can be difficult
13:51 In those situations, Christyn gives herself a gentle, mental shake and reminds herself why she’s homeschooling
14:15 Gina admits jealousy of those who have a dedicated homeschool space
16:05 Christyn has a dedicated space, but admits jealousy of those that are perfectly organized (hers is not!!)
16:38 Tips and tricks to deal with jealousy when it crops up
19:20 Drop the jealousy and find the joy in your homeschool! Take the joy wherever you find it!
19:52 Gina discusses her books about actively seeking joy and how it is best cultivated by thinking small
20:46 Christyn and Gina talk about some of the little joys they find during the day
23:45 Joy not only comes from what happens, but sometimes from what doesn’t happen
24:48 There’s also long-term joy that goes beyond anything we feel any single day: “the slices add up”