My children are driving me crazy

As I think about homeschooling, I often tend to look from my idealized view of my life. What fun it is to imagine my days filled with satisfying inquisitive minds. Quenching their thirst for information from my infinite well of knowledge. Having them all working quietly and productively from various corners of the home. Each optimally utilizing the areas which have been carefully arranged to promote maximum learning and opportunity. Schnuck's Nook's would contain: The Reading Nook, filled with and assortment of phonic readers as well as challenging classic novels; the Study/Computer nook, an area with computers, adequate desk space for writing and workbook completion; the Creative Play Nook, filled with an array of fun exciting, yet educational, toys; and of course the Messy Science and Art Nook; no explanation needed. Ahhh the peace and joy that would reign in Schnuckville.

Yeah right,

The reality today is, my children are driving me crazy. Yes, it's true, I am a real human being, with frustrations and fears, anger and selfishness. There are times that I flee in horror, close my eyes and wish that I had some peace and quiet. I fume as I wonder who it was who made me have FOUR children. As I sit here locked in the study (to try to furiously pound out a post), I can hear them screaming and yelling; arguing and fussing, bickering and dictating. Two are fighting over a Kazoo and its rightful ownership. One is dive bombing the old leather couch screaming with each launch, and the last one sounds like he has taken a maraca and is using it as a hammer to pound a Matchbox car into the train table. So I,...... oops , wait for it..., yes... yes, full blown tears and crying. be right back................................................................

OK where was I? Unsurprisingly, many hours have passed, as have my frustrations (And I have 2 sparkling clean bathrooms to boot as I was unwilling to dissuade my daughter as she felt the call to clean toilets. That sort of urge does not arrive often enough and it must be carefully nurtured). The oldest, Schnuckie8, has informed me that he"read the e-mail on the computer and it was funny" Great, I can't remember exactly what I was bitching about, hopefully it won't result in a therapy bill in a few years. So here I am again, relative calm outside the locked door, as I wonder can I do it, will I have the patience, the benevolence, the calm to succeed? As I really think about homeschooling I wonder how many days will not be as above, but rather be filled with threats over incomplete work? Demanding and bribing them to complete assignments. What happens when their young minds want to mush out to SpongeBob and not to multiplication tables and reading comprehension? Can I handle the daily failures and lose some battles to win some wars? I guess I am struggling with the realization that there is no perfect homeschooling parent anymore than there is a perfect parent.

I guess I allowed to be me. Loving my children who drive me crazy.