Second week slump

It's official.  We've hit the second week slump. Maybe not all homeschooling families experience this, but we do, annually -- hence the actual name I've given it.

The first week of school is always rough for me.  The kids are uber-excited to get started and to learn new things and to crack open those books they've watched me collect all summer long.  Their excitement can be a bit exhausting, between the what-now's and the what's-next's and the can-I-just-do-a-little-more's, mama needs her space by the end of the day.  We spend the first week working and reworking order and routine and procedure back into our days.  Ex.haust.ing.

The second week is always rough for the kids.  Truth be told, the second week slump can actually last a month.  The second week is when they realize that school work is actually work.  The new has worn off the books, the lessons are no longer reviews, and the call to return to summertime play is louder than ever.  Yet mama-teacher insists that this work be done, daily.

So it's during the second week slump that I start to hear lots of agains, can'ts, don't-know-hows. The second week slump is when the tears begin to fall for minor reasons and a simple math mistake is cause for quite the temper tantrum.  It's usually during the second week slump that my math-minded kid forgets basic addition facts, making his pre-algebra almost impossible.  And it's during the second week slump that my blossoming reader forgets what letter his name starts with, the whole ordeal ending with tears because he insists it's an F.  And it's during the second week slump that my preschooler no longer sits contentedly and practices matching but decides to be a bit avant-garde in her definition of what color a watermelon is.

For me, the second week slump is hard because I don't want them to be miserable.  I like giving in to their wants.  It's also a bit hard because I start to look for reasons why the slump has started, which means I grow discontented with my less-than-fave parts of our curriculum...the curriculum I've spent all summer researching and procuring.  We're 3 days into this slump and I've already got plans to scrap things for next year.

The silver lining in the second week slump is that it begins with regularity and it always ends.  In about a month, the fog of the slump will disappear, giving way to the comfort of routine and consistency.  Here's to hoping this is a short slump!