I finally ticked ‘make lemon marmalade’ off my ‘to do’ list. Apart from the fun and satisfaction that I got from making the marmalade, it was good to tick something off my long ‘to do’ list.
A friend of mine once described life as being like running after a bus and never quite catching it. She also said that she often thought to herself that she would be straight once she ‘got that load of washing done’. I can so relate to what she is saying. And I think about this often during my busy week. Balancing homemaking, homeschooling, part time jobs and all the million other little parts of our lives can leave us feeling that we are being torn in too many directions and we start to lose focus on the vision. The children can even start to feel to us like an interruption in our days.
In the film, ‘Mr Holland’s Opus’ Mr Holland spends his life trying to write a piece of music, but he finds he is constantly interrupted by his family and his work. Eventually he realises that the work he does as a teacher, husband and father is his opus magnum: – his grand masterpiece.
OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT AN INTERRUPTION IN OUR LIVES, and it’s not homeschooling them that takes our time; it’s parenting that takes the time and commitment. If we want to do a good job, if we want to have input into our children’s lives, it will take time. Whether they are in state school or being educated privately at home, we will be spending time with and on our children; they are our opus magnum.
Enjoy your children,
Stephanie
