Why I do what I do.

In the last month, since we've started back homeschooling, and dance and gymnastics and horseback (well that never stopped really), and all the other various and sundry things we do, I've been told by two seperate, completely unrelated people, that I am, not in so many words, involving my kids, and therefore myself, in too many things. So here's the breakdown: Monday we have gymnastics, Tuesday morning is horseback and Tuesday evening is 4 hours of dance class (yes that's right I said 4 hours), Wednesday we have piano lessons, Thursday we have another hour of dance, Friday mornings are horseback again and Friday evenings (from now until the middle of December) are Nutcracker rehersals. So far Saturdays are free and Sundays we have church and Sunday school/bible class until around noon. In between all that we have a very well coordinated schedule of school work, downtime, and rest. It'll get a little hairier when Nicholas begins indoor soccer but we've got a little time til that happens. So are we overscheduled? In a word, NO. Not for us, we make it work and we're doing the things that are important to us. Someone has argued that I'm simply doing things that are important to my children and not what is important to me. That's simply not true, becuase you see, my children are the most important things in my world. Their happiness and fulfillment makes me happy and fulfilled. I certainly have my own time, and my own interests outside of them and I do pursue them, but first and foremost come my kids. I want to see them become whatever it is they want to be, I have no allusions of a family of doctors or lawyers or engineers, not because they aren't capable of being those things, but because they've not expressed an interest in that direction. I express the importance of learning, but learning is all around us, it's not just the 3 or 4 hours a day we spend on "traditional" learning. I see Sophie come alive in a whole new way when she gets on that horse, she positively sparkles when she's dancing and Nicholas simply cannot get enough soccer, and in all those activities they are learning something, about themselves, about others, about competition and winning and losing and most importantly they are figuring out for themselves that they love and what they don't. Nicholas is ready to go back to traditional school, he says he wants to stay home yet this year but next year he's more than ready to go back. He's my academic and that's great. Sophie may or may not be ready next year and we'll make that decision closer to that time, and she's my beautiful dreamer. She's artistic, and thoughtful and athletic and she certainly has an academic quality as well, just as Nicholas has an artistic side. The point of all this is they are learning who they are, and what they want to pursue in life. If that means that I'm a chaffeur for the next few years then bring it on because that's exactly what I signed up for when I started this mommy venture 10+ years ago. It's as simple as that. For some people that's overscheduled and not what they want for their life and that's ok, it's not for everyone. But it works for us and I wouldn't have it any other way.