Bittersweet: My First Fall NOT Homeschooling

Bittersweet: My First Fall NOT Homeschooling ~
Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool and Introverted Moms

My friends, it has a been a bittersweet autumn for my mother’s heart.

Time is a weird, weird thing. You try to grit your teeth and get through one day at a time, then somehow blink to find 15 years has past. Weird, weird, weird.

My first fall not homeschooling has been both glorious and causing me to occasionally burst into tears. In this life, it seems like we don’t just get one or the other. Not just the “sweet” and thankfully, not just the “bitter” – but a mix of both.

I’m sure in your own way, you know just what I mean!

So I recorded a full episode (Ep 118) on my Simple Homeschool podcast to chat through the mixed emotions that have been coming up for me, and what I’m learning through them:

Click here to listen in!

Bittersweet: My First Fall NOT Homeschooling

Let me give you just a few examples of how this is playing out:

Sweet: Seeing my 19-year-old Jonathan spread his wings as Lighting Director for the Jonas Brothers

Bitter: The way it twists my heart that he has a whole new (and radically different!) life that I’m not a daily part of

*****

Sweet: My Elijah (18) starting our public school’s program for Special Needs Youth ages 18-22

Bitter: Getting public school e-blasts and being part of “the system” after 15 years outside of it (though I’m so, so grateful, too!)

*****

Sweet: My Trishna (20) growing and using her gifts as she works at her first adult job

Bitter: Watching her have the stress of difficult co-workers and being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world

*****

Sweet: Not having to get up early for the homeschool day!

Bitter: Those sparkly, magical moments that came now and then during breakfast read-alouds around the dining table

*****

Sweet: The excitement and possibility of imagining what might be next for me

Bitter: The scariness of the unknown and grieving the loss of a 15 year season

What feels bitter and sweet for you, fellow Simple Homeschoolers?

However this homeschool year has been going thus far, whether it’s been heavy on the bitter or heavy on the sweet – please honor your reality of how it feels right now!

We can look for balance on the other side of the scale when highs or lows threaten our stability, but the first step is just being real about what’s there.

Thanks for letting me do that with you today, friends. xo, Jamie

If you’d like to hear me share more about the above, look for Episode 118 of the Simple Homeschool podcast here!