I'll start out by saying we'll see how it goes, but I had a lightbulb moment this morning and I'm cautiously optimistic about it being, to borrow from Martha, a Good Thing.
Homeschool takes considerably less time than public school for a host of reasons. Among them include the fact that I have two students not 30. So generally, because I'm a fan of leaning into natural circadian rhythms when possible, eldest sleeps until 10ish. Youngest is up by 7:30. But mornings are not a fast-paced, get to to it NOW kind of environment around here.
There is playing. Maybe some TV or a video game (yes, yes, horrors of electronics, I know), and then lunch.
In the past, post-lunch would be dive into school time. Start around 12:30 or 1, finish up by 2:30. At which point they start clamoring for more video games. And depending on how much I don't feel like dealing with it, they are sometimes successful.
For all I mock the electronics watchdogs, I don't actually want my kids getting as much as they are currently.
And so to the plan. Today, I have let them play. They're outside shooting one another as we speak (Nerf, slow your roll). And I've let them know that around 2:15, 2:30 we'll be starting school.
Thus school should take us to just after 4. Wherein I will shoo them outside again until dinner.
And, voila! No xbox until after dinner is achieved with a minimum of fuss.
The major hope behind this is that said chillens will behave better at dinner, causing the wrath of Dad to abate somewhat. There have been too many days of late where dinner had seemed like an imposition wherein we were taking them away from the more important things they had to do and just no. That shall not stand.
But before I let hubby loose with disabling all electronic devices until he gets home each day, I'd like to try a gentler approach.
We shall see. But I'm cautiously optimistic.
Bonus points for today at least: their happy play time extension has given me time to get some book writing done.
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