While we are busy teaching our kids to obey the golden rule, "Treat others the way you want to be treated", I think too often we moms tend to neglect our own needs. Homeschool moms have a particular bent for depression. Therefore, I believe that we need to be all the more careful to be kind to ourselves.


I'm not saying that you need to hang out in a spa 24/7. Just try to pay attention to these few details:

• Make sure that you are taking care of your physical body. Are you getting enough sleep? Eating a balanced diet? Getting enough exercise? What about going for those check-ups we all like to put off?
• Take time to relax and unwind. Do you have some sort of hobby that calms you? NO, creating lesson plans does NOT count!
• Schedule dates with your husband. When was the last time you and your hubby had a date? When the kids are little, this may seem like an unnecessary extravagance. But believe me, it's vital to your marriage and your kids will be better off for it as well.
• Probably one of the biggest infractions to being kind to ourselves is believing the lies that come into our minds as homeschool moms. And there are a LOT of them! "My kids don't measure up to the other kids their age." "My kids should all be learning Latin, Greek, a musical instrument and be doing calculus by the time they are 5 years old!" "Our homeschool should look just like my friend who has it all together." "Every OTHER homeschool mom has it all together while I can't even locate all the pieces!"

If you find yourself in any of the last bullet point quotes, then you might want to read the book, "Lies Homeschool Moms Believe" by Todd Wilson.

So remember, my friends, none of us are perfect and NONE of us have it all together, so be kind to your self!