Comments on: How habits can help homeschooling this season

By: Cindy Miller

Cindy Miller

Please help! I’m 70 but healthy and decided to homeschool my two sons 14 and 16. I read a blog about “curriculums and/or books that we love and ones we hate,” but I can’t find it now.???? I need super simply and suggestions on curriculum. One of my sons may have ADHD but I refuse to test him because of the label…. thanks! Cindy

By: Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley

Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley

As a creature of habit, I loved this post!

By: Julie

Julie

Thank you for this! I loved your last post on habits too and resonate with everything you said. I’ve long appreciated CM’s teaching on habits, but struggled to begin implementing any of it. What’s finally brought it all together for me is an older book someone loaned me, Managers of Their Homes, by Steve and Teri Maxwell. This book has been revolutionary in giving me a framework for starting to learn/carry out good habits, for myself and for my kids. The very basic summary of their system is that you break up your day into 30-minute segments, and everyone has something specific to do in each time segment.

It’s not perfect of course, but with four kids, it’s giving us much-needed structure. I’m getting more done, spending one-on-one time working with each child during the morning (even the preschooler), and have way fewer behavior problems with my kids. Of course it’s not perfect, but I can finally say our homeschool is becoming the peaceful, inspiring environment I hoped for.

By: Katie

Katie

I have also read the Charlotte Mason Habits book and was initially very excited to work on habits with my kids, but while I found the physical things (i.e. hanging up your coat) to be easy to accomplish, I still struggle to work on the mental habits with my kids, like attention and not interrupting. I may think of them in the morning but forget about them the rest of day, drowned out by the needy sick toddler or the constant whining of the preschooler (the whining is easy to work on because it drives me crazy). Any ideas?

By: Carrie Willard

Carrie Willard

In reply to Jess. Jess, my husband is an INFP. He struggles with clutter, disorganization, making plans, etc... interestingly, he finds that when he forces himself to do just those things that are unnatural to him, his life really is happier! He has slowly turned into someone who plans ahead. I think the key with an INFP is to not be rigid, but flexible, allowing for some spontaneity but having a loose plan. It works for him. :-)

By: Carrie Willard

Carrie Willard

I love habits. So much so that I wrote a book about them!
And I love that book you mentioned. I have read it twice and find it so important to take time to establish good habits and routines, especially since I have 7 kids. When things start to unravel with routines, it’s because of my laziness, not following through.

By: Lisa Ehrman

Lisa Ehrman

Good post! It’s very hard to reinforce a new habit, if you’re not going to be intentionally working on it. Thanks 🙂

By: Shelly

Shelly

As a family of 12, I’ve found that we absolutely must stick with our chore routine. Must. And, yes, I have let them go withut doing them “just this once” and afterwards had to deal with not only an out-of-control house, but children who weren’t doing their jobs as well as they used to. Thanks for this great reminder.

By: Terra Santos

Terra Santos

In reply to Kari Patterson. Thanks ladies! Breaking them up is definitely a great idea. And I think the thing that drives me the craziest is clutter! So maybe focusing on those areas first would be a good idea. This is a great help. Thanks! ;)

By: Jess

Jess

Oh my… The INFP in me is struggling right now! I’m such an anti-scheduler but as the littles grow and mature and begin taking on a more active roll in the keeping of the home and the direction of their education I’m beginning to feeeeeeeeel this. I sense we are on the cusp of a new direction, even if it does feel slightly (read: so very much so) confining. Your words bring me hope Kari! 🙂