This is How WE Do Decompression! (Intro to Decompression-Part 2)

There are many ways to unwind.  Relaxation techniques, reading, listening to music, being outdoors, prayer, meditation, walking....just to name a few.  I've quickly learned that unwinding is a very subjective thing. What works for many folks may not work for others. Specifically, what works for some family members may not work for other members of the same family. This post is about our dichotomy of decompression. (Incidentally, that would make a great name for an alternative or punk band!)

My husband and son have the same birthday.  My guys are two peas in a pod and share many interests, like all things technology, cars and action movies. Their idea of relaxation is to spend a whole day fishing on a boat in the middle of a lake in Vermont.

On the other hand, I am a Type A woman /wife/  mom. I like to stay active. I love to run, bake and shop for cute purses on sale. Being active is a good way for me to relax. I'm the mom you can't stand because I come complete with calendars, notebooks and organizers. I like everything in its place (which is a HOOT when you have an 11 1/2 year old son who thinks laundry should permanently remain on the floor of his bedroom). I plan ahead and don't like surprises. Go figure. This mom, who doesn't like surprises, has completely jumped in and embraced the homeschooling lifestyle all in the matter of a couple of weeks!

That being said...here is what I've learned about our decompression period during our first week of school-

1. Decompression is relative. For many people, it can be a passive thing. For us, however, it was immediately letting go stress and maintaining some activity with a new schedule. I thought, for sure, that my kid would want to take a breather academically for at least a day or two. Many folks in the homeschooling community recommend taking days, weeks or even months off. No formal academic plan and let the child control his or her daily schedule. Did my kid want to do this? Heck, no! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my son wanted to jump right into his new, online homeschool curriculum (and the supplemental workbooks and worksheets I had prepared for him). Turns out, he actually enjoys learning and he didn't want that to stop at all.
2. Where he did want to scale back was socially. This threw me for a loop. I was ready to scale back on the studies and start setting up new social activities, since he that was his favorite part of regular school. He is also an only child. Socialization is one of our few concerns about homeschooling. Wrong again! He is happily chatting, Face Timing and keeping in touch with his close friends.  He has told me that he just wanted a week or so of "relaxing solo", he'll be ready for the hangouts with old friends and meeting up with new homeschooling kids.
3. Being a Type A mom, I've found lesson planning our academic days is enjoyable during this decompression period! I'm a music therapist and early childhood music teacher. I'm slowly putting my career on hiatus, so I can focus on being a homeschool mom. As a music therapist and early childhood music teacher, I've been lesson planning for many years and it is second nature to me. What I didn't expect was to really like lesson planning for things like math, social studies and science.  Don't get me started on how I can't enter a Michael's or AC Moore without buying materials to make a model of a molecule of oxygen or an electrical experiment. I'm a total science geek.
4.  Old habits die hard...but new joys are quickly embraced! For us, decompression means change.  What we're doing is letting go of old schedules, meetings, paperwork and mind sets.  By letting these things go, we're welcoming more time, discovery, choices and experiences.  Since we live in a highly regulated state for homeschooling (NY), I need to be specific and up-to-date when recording our required hours, curriculum notes and progress. Got it. Check! Where I can be loosey-goosey is in the day-to-day activities. Math in the morning on Monday, but in the afternoon on Tuesday. We added an extra science module on Wednesday, because we loved the unit on atomic structure. Today, my son needed some extra time his math module review so he could really understand some new concepts.  THIS is one of the many wonderful things about homeschooling!  No more cookie cutter.  If he needs extra time, he gets it and its as simple as that. 

Our decompression period may not seem like it to most homeschoolers.  But for us, it works!  Decompression is subjective and for some its active, for others its very passive. At the end of the day, you do what works for your kid and for your family. During our first week of homeschooling, we've had no fighting, rushing around or meltdowns. This is decompression.
So...buh-bye, old way of doing things and hello to big changes!