Thread: Weekly Poll: How do you know if you are doing too much?

Something that plagues any parent homeschooling or not, how do you know if you are doing too much? Whether that is too much of an educational work load, too many classes outside the home, social events, sports and even if you are working outside or at home. Now I am talking about you here not your child!

At least, some days I totally collapse on the bed wondering if I got everything done that needed to get done for that day. Only to realize that I forgot to do the laundry (and of course everyone is out of underwear!) or get the next morning's lessons ready so that the boys can get going as soon as they are ready. So up I go when my mind and body say "STAY PUT"

While I do have chores that my boys do to help out I still have a to do list that is a mile long! I recently got roped into taking on a role in our local homeschool group's board,as the teen event coordinator, afterwords I was left with this nagging feeling that I should have said NO! Not because i don't have a ton of great ideas that I think that the teens would enjoy but I personally don't know if I can squeeze another thing into my day! Just wondering how everyone else decides when enough is enough! Maybe you are like me and you think I can rest when I am dead or when the kids are out of high school So how do you know when to say no to yet another thing?!

We don't do too much because in our area there literally isn't anything to do. No homeschool group, no classes to take, no interesting landmarks to check out, no museums, no one gets together socially... DS is in a couple sports, but that takes up a total of an hour and a half a week. We're insanely bored--I'd LOVE to have too many choices!

I put other because we are kind of a combination of "When My Family Tells Me" and "We are a balanced family".

If the kids are tired and don't want to go to an activity, I know we are doing too much. It has only happened at isolated times since we don't tend to sign up for too many commitment activities like sports. ds did soccer and now does t-ball. Both little kids do gymnastics but the last day is Friday. There may be a week where we have a park day, gymnastics, t-ball and a homeschool nature walk. The kids would be ready for a break after all that (as would I).

I could easily over-do it around here - co-ops, homeschool gymnastics, homeschool bowling, nature center homeschool classes, park days, field trips, homeschool weeks at museums. There is a LOT to do around here. Part of the reason we manage to be so "balanced" though is because the kids are so young and we don't want to pay money for things they won't get much out of. That and I'm a serious introvert and too much time around other people would drive me insane.

Of course, I learned my lesson with my oldest. She is a 5 day a week dancer, head cheerleader and public high school student. Since she just got her license, I've been chauffer for all her stuff.

LOL i have the opposite problem - i'm always sure i'm not doing enough. We NEVER do too much. I'm antisocail and the kids dont like classes or clubs.

Other. When I feel unhappy about homeschooling, then I know I've bitten off more than I can chew socially. Being in a co-op last year made me really unhappy, so we quit, whereas running book club once a month is fine.

What I find hard is balancing how much is enough for different children.

As far as academics go, I feel like I have a good balance now, though when we began h/s I ran myself ragged trying to do everything in a day. It gets easier as the kids get older and are more independent learners and can get themselves around to various places without me.

When I snap at the kids over little things. Like I did the whole two weeks before The Tempest. I made poor BalletBoy cry at co-op one day. So sad.

But then we had a great experience with our too much... so... it's hard to know. Afterward, we dialed it back and that was good. But if we dialed too far back, we'd miss out on things. And I like to organize. Sigh. Balance. Balance.

Oh, I know, also, when I'm not writing. Boo to that.

Originally Posted by hockeymom

We don't do too much because in our area there literally isn't anything to do. No homeschool group, no classes to take, no interesting landmarks to check out, no museums, no one gets together socially... DS is in a couple sports, but that takes up a total of an hour and a half a week. We're insanely bored--I'd LOVE to have too many choices!

I can't imagine. Wish I had less to do, but then I'd still find out that it was too much! lol

I try not to do too many things, which can be difficult with a child and homeschooling, plus outside classes and camps at the Youth Center on base, a caique (which is like having a 2-year-old toddler for 20-30 years of your life), the cats, my writing, my research, and pursuing my own interests in general. But if my husband points out that I need a break, then I take a break, because he's always right.

Originally Posted by autumndivona

because he's always right.

WOW I never admit that mine is right , then it would go to his head! BAHAW

Seriuosly I think that the people around us can see things that we don't! I just wanted to pipe back in here and tell you all that YOU ALL ROCK! I love the different answers that we get when we post these polls. It helps me from thinking I am crazy when I see the reasons why people answer the they that they do! Thanks for always being honest!

I chose other, because I'm always one that feels like I'm not doing enough. I have limited transportation, and all the cool co-ops with the homeschool group are either on a bad day for us, or the minimum age was 6. There seem to be no homeschoolers in this neighborhood, and none near by because I tried to set up a park day for the park I can walk to easily and that was a bust. I always wonder if we're doing enough school work, I feel like I should work on my art more, clean more, but I know I need some "me time" so I always want to find time to read or watch a show on the computer.
Oh also I worry about the classes because my daughter seems to have inherited my anxiety so I'm not so quick to sign her up for something because I know sometimes going off into a room with a bunch of people she doesn't know might not work out.