Finding A New Dream in Motherhood

I’m a sucker for a good Disney Movie and last fall the stage was set for binge watching princess movies to my heart’s delight.  My daughter was three and a half – the perfect age – and I was in the pregnancy and then newborn baby phase. So….Yes. Disney movies.  There is this fantastic line in Tangled where Rapunzel is about to have her dream come true – and she freezes. What will her life be about once this dream has ended?  Well, Flynn chimes in with the perfect answer: “You get to find a new dream.”

I had a dream once.  It was to be a homeschool mom.  I know I just lost most of you right there….but hang with me.  There are some actual wonderful things about homeschooling and I was going after the awesome parts. For example, the flexibility, customizing your child’s education, getting to spend the best hours of your child’s daywith your child (not the tired leftovers), reading wonderful books, and studying outside at the park. These were all things I wanted to experience as I dove into motherhood with all that I had.  And it was awesome.  We did all of those things. 

But then it started not to fit. Flexibility is great, but kids need structure and routine. Customizing is awesome, but it can also be overwhelming. Time with my children is wonderful, but they are so busy and the days are so long – how do I possibly keep them engaged and out of trouble? And then one day I realized, just like those high water pants that need to be replaced: homeschooling just didn’t fit us anymore.  I was tired, and he was bored and needed more interaction.  I wanted to explore some other interests, and he didn’t want to do math with me.  So I did what moms do.  I noticed that something didn’t fit anymore and made the decision to make the next right choice for us. We needed to find a new dream.  

So here we are. My 2nd grader goes to school tomorrow – just for a visit day – but he will go to this school full-time in the fall. So while one dream has died, it’s time for a new dream for him and for me. 

And in the wake of this new dream, I’ve found St. Louis Moms Blog.  It is time for me to get to know you a bit and to take some time to write.  I have lots of stories to tell and it’s time to start tellingthem.  I think these stories just might be my new dream.