Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that not so long ago, I had three babies age one and under.

I mean, that just sounds insane, doesn’t it? We also had three older children whom I was homeschooling. Or… attempting to homeschool, at any rate.

Let me tell you what happens when you add three little babies to an already busy homeschooling household: chaos.

Chaos is what happens.

These days, those kids are 21, 19, 17, 11, 9, and 9, so I’ve had some time to reflect.

And can I tell you the truth?

That whole time, I pretty much felt like I was failing the big kids and the little ones, alike.

I worried constantly about all the things I wasn’t getting to:

Subjects we didn’t have time for.

Books we didn’t read.

Field trips and experiences my kids didn’t have.

Attention they didn’t get from me, because there were so many of them, and there was so little of me to go around.

Surely I was neglecting some important part of their education, dropping balls, making a mess of things.

Looking back, I can honestly say: some of that did happen

I didn’t get to everything.

I neglected entire subjects for entire children. I dropped balls left and right. The house was always messy, the laundry was never folded, the math books never got completely finished, and there were many years where we didn’t do an iota of history or science.

Because yes, babies are a tremendous blessing, and they also turn your homeschool on its head. They lay your best homeschooling plans to waste, wreak havoc on your schedule, and sabotage your older kids’ ability to concentrate.

When I had three babies, I was perpetually sleep-deprived and pining for the next time I could snag a 3-minute shower.

So let’s acknowledge this up front: the reason homeschooling with babies and toddlers underfoot feels hard is because it IS hard.

It’s also the job.

The baby (or in my case: babies) are the most important lesson of all. For everyone.

My oldest daughter recently shared her own memories of those homeschooling years on The Read-Aloud Revival Podcast.

This is part of what she said (click that link to hear the rest):

To be totally honest, I don’t remember what school looked like during these days. I really have no particular memories of school or what we did then. What I do remember is how much I loved having baby siblings and how much fun it was to take naps with them asleep on my chest, read books to the toddler, and help you feed and put them to bed.  It was my favorite thing to come with you downstairs and rock one of the twins to sleep. I really cannot recollect any details about what school looked like and while yes, this was a couple of years, I think I grew closer in relationship with my siblings and with you more than I did educationally, but I have found this to be just as valuable, if not more so, in the end.

RAR #209: What Worked, What Didn’t

Just as valuable, if not more so

Indeed.

Because learning to get to your chores AND read aloud to a toddler sister AND get to your school checklist AND help your mom with the needs of twin brothers? That’s the act of dying to yourself every single day.

It’s the act of loving well. Living well.

And what else is education for, if not for learning to love and live well?

Regardless of the dropped balls and failures on my part (and I assure you, there were legion), my older kids are all now succeeding at their respective universities. It turns out that the incomplete math books, the years with no history and no science, the years I was sure I was making a mess of things…

Well, it turns out there is more to living and loving well than checking boxes and completing lessons and doing anything that looks to the world like “school.”

Yes, it is possible to homeschool with babies and toddlers

It’s possible, even, to teach them from rest.

You are the best person to help your kids learn and grow. Yes you—even if you haven’t been the most patient, most kind, most wonderful mother on the planet today.

Home is the best place for your kids to fall in love with learning. Even if yours is messy and cluttered and smells like last night’s dinner dishes and the laundry you forgot to move to the dryer.

How do I know this? Because it’s not about how amazing you are. It’s about amazing He is.

xo, Sarah Mackenzie

P.S. If you want to hear the rest of that episode with my daughter, you can hit the play button below: