Letting go of "perfect"...

The school year has started in our neighborhood, and after we get back from our our NOT back to school celebration we have planned next week up in Bear Lake State Park, we will be starting, too!

My kids are beyond excited to start. I can't blame them. We do some pretty fun stuff.

But I wish I had a little more time to get everything in order. Because I've got a perfectionism streak in me, which makes me want everything...EVERYTHING to be in order before we start...you know, wanting the house totally clean and organized...

every closet, drawer, nook and cranny. The yard. The schedule. The budget... everything. Which really is quite hilarious, because none of those areas are perfectly in order or anything close to it. Nor is any area in order the majority of the time in my home. Let's get real here. If I was to somehow accomplish that almost unreachable goal, it wouldn't stay that way more than five minutes... I've got seven children. SEVEN. My youngest is three. And my main job is to nurture my children, not keep the house perfectly clean. When I'm focused on wanting things to be perfect, I'm a lousy nurturer. It's just the way it is.

Perfectionism is not helpful AT ALL in homeschooling... actually, in any part of life. It used to hold me back from moving forward in things. And kept me from allowing myself from having permission to be happy. That sounds bizarre, but it's true. And I know I'm not alone, I've met others who struggle with this too. So if that's you, give yourself permission to let it GO. Choose to be happy even if everything isn't perfect... even if NOTHING in your life is perfect. It will serve you well.

I've worked on this enough that I know how to choose to move forward with things anyway, even if things aren't perfect. I realize that I've got a limited time each day, and I need to be okay with accomplishing what I'm able to get done, and let the rest go. This applies to my job as a homemaker... but even more importantly, as my job as a homeschooling mama. Usually this trait of wanting things to be perfect can interfere with our ability to effectively teach and help our children well. We may hold them up to higher standards than are appropriate. I've seen this on some different facebook groups where a mom will take a picture of their little kids handwriting or other school work and talk about their worries of it not being good enough. And guess what? It's almost always above-average work. Chances are, your kids will be doing just fine and they just need some love and encouragement instead of criticizing every imperfection.

So if you're struggling with any of that this school year, take a deep breath, just jump in, and let go of expectations. I promise, it will feel so much better and relieve a lot of anxiety and worry if you just get started. And always remember things will NOT be perfect.

Your second grader's handwriting should look imperfect. Your preschooler should be coloring outside of the lines... goodness... your second grader very well might be, too.

The lesson (or entire day) might be interrupted by something more important and you'll need to be okay with letting that go. And yes, sometimes the more important thing will be just stopping and listening to the things that are on your child's mind and heart.

So even if your school room isn't pinterest-perfect... even if you don't even have a dedicated school room (honestly, they're over-rated)...or even if you haven't planned out the entire school year's (or semester's/month's/week's) curriculum, schedule, activities, and field-trips... all you need to do is decide what you're doing TODAY. And then start, do your best, let any expectation of perfection go, and enjoy the ride.

If you realize that you've got THE BEST partner who will help you figure out what you should be focused on TODAY, who will be there to support you and cheer you on through the hard times (because there will be hard times), you will be able to move forward with a lot more confidence and peace in knowing you're doing exactly what you should be doing. That partner is God. And He WILL help you. He WILL support you. He WILL be cheering you on. He knows your children better than you do. He knows what they need today, tomorrow, and for the future.

And best of all, He doesn't expect you to do it all perfectly. In fact, he KNOWS you WON'T do it perfectly! Not one single thing! That's actually part of the plan, part of the learning experience.

So put your trust in Him and watch the magic happen.