Many of us have had the joy/challenge of homeschooling our kids, at least in part, over the past few months. That’s why “homeschool,” a post from Magdalen Dale at her blog overallmagic, is my pick for a Post of the Week.
“Oscar + school work was a battle last week,” she begins, expressing what many of us have been feeling lately. Yet the post shows us how Dale and her family weave in a balance of school work, active play, and screen time, while also tempering the structure of a to-do list with an openness to being flexible about it. For example, when her son asks, towards the end of the day, to play soccer, she writes:
 It was late and I was tired, but soccer was on the list and it was the first time all day he had asked to do something on the list. I thought, What kind of an example am I setting if I am now the one to resist? I looked out the window. The fading sunset had filled the sky with bright red clouds.
“Okay,” I said. “Get yourself dressed.” I flopped down on the bed by Jen.
“You are a good mama,” she said with a smile. A couple minutes later he jumped into the room in his polar bear fleece PJs, asking “Is this a good outfit?”
I hope you’ll go read the rest—Dale doesn’t hesitate to express the stresses she’s feeling about the pandemic, President Trump, climate change, or discussing difficult topics with her child, but also shows how it’s possible to find joy and learning and love amidst it all.